Pharmacy Practice Model Summit

SINCE 2002, more than 425,000 veterans of the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been treated by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). That is an average of 258 new patients each day. As the system struggles to cope with the demand for services, pharmacy clinicians are coming face to face with a veteran population whose needs [...]

THE STAFF AT WOMEN & CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF BUFFALO knows the value of speaking up. When it became evident that a new smart pump that Kaleida Health had introduced for use in its five-hospital system wouldn’t serve the needs of  Women & Children’s diverse population, the staff took its concerns to the administration. The result is an intravenous (IV) [...]

This issue’s cover story, on page 8, about the many ways in which pharmacists care for our nation’s wounded veterans, really touched me. Official combat operations in Iraq ended this summer, but the men and women who served during this long war will likely need help for many years. And pharmacists stand ready as members of the patient-care team. The exciting news [...]

How would you define the ideal pharmacy practice model? The ideal pharmacy practice model is one where the pharmacist works side by side with other members of the health care team to design optimum drug regimens for patients. This is, of course, supported by a drug distribution system in which the right drug, in the correct dose, is in the hands of the nurse [...]