Base pharmacies plan free activities to observe pharmacists month Published Oct. 6, 2010 By Maj. Winnie Lok-Park 81st Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- October is American Pharmacists Month. To mark the observance, the 81st Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron Pharmacy has planned several free activities for beneficiaries. From 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at the hospital pharmacy and 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 19 at the exchange pharmacy, patients can bring in their medications and herbal supplements and speak with the pharmacist about any concerns. Tours are scheduled at the exchange pharmacy, 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Oct. 18, 20 and 21, and the hospital pharmacy, 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Oct. 18-20 to help patients understand what pharmacists do after they receive a prescription and show how prescriptions are filled. The staff takes patients behind locked doors to display state-of-the-art technology and answer any questions. Space is limited, so sign up is required at the pharmacy during duty hours. For parents concerned about children getting into medicine cabinets or cleaning supplies, the pharmacy staff provides poison prevention education for children at the child development center, 10 a.m. Oct. 14. Anyone with questions about their medications should contact their pharmacists; they are the best and most accessible medication experts. A dialogue between patients and pharmacists about any prescription or nonprescription medicines they're taking will ensure patients receive maximum health benefits and harmful side effects are minimized. Pharmacists know how medications may interact with food, other medicines or dietary supplements that can affect the patient or the effectiveness of the medicines. Some interactions can be dangerous. When picking up a new medicine, patients should ask if it will work safely with other prescription and nonprescription medicines they may be taking. Patients also need to inform their pharmacist about any herbal products they are using. Following the pharmacist's advice to ensure proper medication use can also save money. Not following a prescription's instructions or discontinuing its use without consulting with the health care provider could lead to more expensive treatments, such as surgery or hospitalization. With the array of complex and effective medications now available, it's more important than ever that patients consult their pharmacist to improve medication use. Patients can help manage their own care by reading labels, knowing the active ingredient in the medications and talking with the pharmacist. Pharmacists also provide information about how to best store medications in the home and what medications patients should have on hand. The pharmacist can advise patients what to do once a medication reaches its expiration date and recommend proper disposal of expired medications. Today's pharmacists no longer are simply drug dispensers. The pharmacy itself has become a health care center. Pharmacists are actively changing their practices to meet the challenges of the health-care system and patient needs and demands. Patients should expect a higher level of service from today's pharmacists. They should look to their pharmacists to provide medication counseling services, including drug regimen reviews and drug interaction checks, disease- specific medication monitoring, coordination of patient care with physicians and other health care providers, and monitoring medication side effects. Information from the American Pharmacists Association was used in this report.