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There are many tasks that a pharmacist is responsible for each day. Pharmacists are some of the most accessible members of the healthcare team, as individuals can seek their advice quickly and easily, even without an appointment.

More UK health professionals will be able to prescribe medicines

The proposals recommend that physiotherapists, radiographers, chiropodists and optometrists should be able to prescribe medicines, in partnership with a doctor, to help treat and manage conditions such as glaucoma, chronic back pain and the effects of multiple sclerosis, as well as providing pain relief for patients attending radiography sessions.

10 May 2004

Medicare says drug discount program shows savings up to 17 percent for brand name drugs

The first analysis comparing the Medicare-approved drug discount cards with the current prices for prescription medicines shows savings of at least 10 to 17 percent for brand name drugs and far larger savings for generic drugs

6 May 2004

Securing pharmacists into the future

A need to ensure future generations of pharmacists for rural and regional Australia has driven third generation pharmacist Peter Gissing to take the helm of the Charles Sturt Pharmacy Foundation.

29 Apr 2004

McMaster’s is helping raise awareness of the importance of regular blood pressure monitoring.

A recently launched "Community Hypertension Awareness Program" (CHAP) is 'closing the loop' between health promotion activities in the community, and clinical care by family doctors.

28 Apr 2004

Education campaign to inform people with Medicare about the new prescription drug savings

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today the beginning of a comprehensive education campaign to inform people with Medicare about the new prescription drug savings available to them through Medicare-approved drug discount cards.

28 Apr 2004

$360,000 boost for HIV/AIDS patients in Pima County

The University of Arizona has been awarded $360,000 from the federal Ryan White CARE Act to expand its patient care services for HIV/AIDS patients in Pima County. Ryan White Early Intervention Services Clinics now are held at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center and at Kino Hospital.

16 Apr 2004

Caffeine and children, some sound advice

Many adults are dependent on the caffeine in their morning coffee to get them going. But what about kids? Children who regularly drink soda, iced tea and other caffeine-containing beverages and foods may be getting too much. Find out how caffeine can be bad for your kids (and you) -- and how much is too much.

16 Apr 2004

FDA makes moves to block foreign drug imports

The Food and Drug Administration today announced a new partnership with the Virginia Pharmacists Association to distribute consumer educational materials outlining the risks of purchasing medicines outside of FDA’s regulatory scope. Over the past month, FDA has co-sponsored agreements with state pharmacists associations in Illinois, California, Texas, Maryland, New York, and Nebraska, and the Agency anticipates that additional agreements will be signed in the weeks ahead.

13 Apr 2004

Computerized entry systems may have limited impact on patient harm

Computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) systems decrease medication error, but they may not decrease patient harm due to medication error, according to the results of a study conducted at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and published this week in Archives of Internal Medicine.

12 Apr 2004

Online, web-based system for ordering total parenteral nutrition (TPN)

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center have designed an online, Web-based system for ordering total parenteral nutrition (TPN) that identifies and pre-emptively eliminates potentially serious calculation errors.

5 Apr 2004

$Study demonstrates pharmacists ability to identify & refer patients at-risk for fractures$

Study demonstrates pharmacists ability to identify & refer patients at-risk for fractures

Results from Project ImPACT: Osteoporosis were discussed today during the Annual Meeting of the American Pharmacists Association. Published in the March/April 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association the authors, Jean-Venable “Kelly” Goode, Kim Swiger, and Benjamin M. Bluml, suggest that when patients, pharmacists and physicians collaborate closely, using pharmacy-based testing to identify and refer patients who are at-risk for future fracture that breakthrough results are possible.

28 Mar 2004

70% of Americans not aware of their blood glucose (sugar) level

A new national survey conducted by the American Diabetes Association reveals that 7 out of 10 Americans are not aware of their blood glucose (sugar) level, critical information for determining the presence of diabetes or pre-diabetes. This awareness level is considered extremely low, especially as it relates to individuals' knowledge of blood pressure and cholesterol.

23 Mar 2004