October is American Pharmacists Month, a time to recognize pharmacists’ contributions to health care and spotlight the vital role they play as members of the health care team and valued providers of patient care services. Real World Health Care is honored to acknowledge the dedication of these medical professionals by…more.
Early in my pharmacy career, a hospital social worker referred to me a deaf patient. He had a reputation for being rude and belligerent to providers. After our first encounter, I was no exception. However, after looking at health care from his perspective – slow communication, unthinking providers, long waits…more.
While a main precept of the Affordable Care Act is to expand access to health care, in some cases that improved access means more patients are being treated with medications that come with a cost. As a pharmacist, I have to be an insurance sleuth, use common sense, and teach…more.
This is the first of a two-part series on what’s working to prevent and address needle fear. Most people don’t enjoy shots. But for those with needle phobia, the fear of shots can be so severe that they actively avoid medical procedures involving injections, and in extreme cases avoid medical…more.
Most of the readers of this blog know that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of men and women in this country. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, CVD is a leading cause of disability, preventing Americans from working and enjoying family activities. Out-of-hospital cardiac…more.
With CVS Pharmacy’s recent announcement that cigarettes and other tobacco containing products will no longer be sold in its stores, Real World Health Care has been crunching the numbers on the success of anti-tobacco efforts and reviewing recent advances in smoking cessation. Here’s what we’ve found: #1. Smoking still holds…more.
What approaches can pharmacists embrace to more effectively adapt to the rapidly changing landscape of U.S. health care? It’s exactly this question that Philip E. Johnson, RPh, FASHP, the oncology director for Premier, Inc, a health care improvement company, explores in the December edition of Pharmacy Practice News: “Protecting oncology…more.
With nearly half of all patients in the US not taking their medications as prescribed, medication non-adherence remains a dangerous and expensive problem that costs the health care system $329 billion annually (Express Scripts Drug Trend Report), meaning more hospitalizations and visits to the emergency room (ER). So what’s the good news?…more.
What’s the solution to reversing the tide of hypertension, the most commonly diagnosed condition in the United States? More evidence indicates that the answer begins with the food choices we make every day. An underlying cause of heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease, one in three American adults now experiences high…more.
Is Twitter now monitoring your allergies or sleeping patterns? In today’s era of real-time information, Twitter has emerged as a leading go-to source for the latest in news, entertainment and more. Now, Twitter is joining Everyday Health, Inc. to create HealthBeat, the first global real-time health alert and news offering. The partnership seeks to provide…more.