Pharmacists: More than the “last step” on the care journey

Nisreen Shamseddine, PharmD, MS, MBA, a community pharmacist and currently a Medical Strategy Lead at Ipsen, shares why a pharmacist can be an important member of your care team and not only the “last step” before starting a new medicine.

As a pharmacist formerly serving people in my local community, I’ve learned firsthand that our care system can be complex and challenging to navigate. For many people, the moment they become a “patient” or the advocate for their child with a health condition, they gain the added responsibility of championing their health needs or those of their family member. This can be difficult when juggling other daily responsibilities.

Beyond the “mental load” of a health condition, there can be additional layers that impact access to care – like the distance to a doctor’s office or transportation, the need to schedule appointments months in advance and take time away from work or family commitments. Or, consider the moment when you receive information, like a diagnosis, at the doctor’s office. You may need time to digest this new information and conduct research before formulating your questions.

Some of these challenges can be addressed by reaching out to a different member of the care team – the pharmacist. You might have heard the phrase “a pharmacy on every corner” to describe the frequency with which we see pharmacies in towns and cities, but regardless of how many you have near you, research validates that people do, in fact, stop by the pharmacy almost twice as often as they see their physician.

A pharmacist can be accessible to help navigate questions without an appointment and often have more flexible working hours. For those who don’t step into a pharmacy for their medicine – it may be received directly in the mail or in a hospital setting – there is often the option to interact with a pharmacy team. For example, if you receive your medicine by mail, you’ll likely receive a call from a pharmacist to answer your questions or in the hospital, a pharmacist may come to ask you if you have questions.

You may be able to reflect on a conversation you’ve had with a pharmacist yourself, likely about how to take a specific medicine or what to expect for side effects. But, a pharmacist may also help you understand the impact on your overall health or other conditions, daily life activities, interactions with any other medicines or supplements, dietary changes, physical limitations or social interactions.

While a pharmacist can be a great source of information, it’s important to speak with your doctor regarding any questions about your health.

For me, the most important part of counseling someone picking up a medicine was getting to know them better in order to help educate and prepare them for what to expect. Or being able to help by working directly with a person’s doctor to get answers to their more specific questions.

Pharmacists may be able to answer some of your questions. For me, I always welcome questions – here are some you can consider the next time you speak with yours:

I love to do ___________. How might this medicine impact this?
_____________ is very important to me. Do you have any tips to help me keep this a priority?
Should I expect needing to change any daily activities as a result of this medicine?
How should I take the medicine? Will this medicine impact how I feel day-to-day?
When will my medication start working? How will I know if it’s working?
Is there anything I can proactively do to manage certain side effects?
Are there diet/physical or other restrictions I should consider?