Graduates of the program are equipped to not only fill prescriptions, but to counsel patients, monitor medications, and identify and prevent prescription problems. In turn, physicians have more time to focus on patients' other needs. Most importantly, today's pharmacists can prevent potentially dangerous medical situations which may result when several doctors prescribe multiple medications to a single patient. The elderly, who take the greatest percentage of medications, are particularly at risk for prescription-related complications, ranging from memory loss to internal bleeding. We need to teach professionals how to prevent and manage these problems, and we need to conduct research to get additional answers.
Pharmacists also are instrumental in easing patients' transitions from hospital to home.
Lots of people leave with many different drugs to manage. The pharmacist can prevent rehospitalization resulting from prescription problems. The entire way in which pharmacists administer care is evolving. Rather than just doling out a prescription, pharmacists practicing contemporary pharmaceutical care will review a patient's medical history and other medications to make sure a drug is appropriate. Today's complementary dynamic between pharmacist and physician optimizes the expertise and efficiency of both.