Expect the Best Ninety-six percent of consumers surveyed by FDA in 1982 said they did not ask their physicians or pharmacists any questions. Yet, according to a 1990 Gallup poll, Americans rated pharmacists as the most trusted of 25 different professionals. Clergy were rated second and medical doctors third. Being a pharmacist goes beyond filling prescriptions. Dale Blumenthal is a staff writer for FDA Consumer.
Many pharmacists can supply aids to help patients take their medicines properly.
Space can also be provided for the patient to check off after the drug is taken. Individual medication instruction sheets Pharmacists tape sample pills next to the dosage time on these sheets with complete instructions on how to take the specific medication. A sticker the same color as the pill is placed on the bottle to help patients remember which pills go with each bottle's label information. All the medicines to be taken at each dosing time are marked, put in small, individual bags, and sealed. The day's doses are all packed into one larger plastic bag, and the seven daily bags are sealed into a bag that holds a week's supply.