Yeah, but does it help?

I am impressed with the initiatives by the government coming out, such as Partnership for Patients, and now Script Your Future. I think it’s important to educate people about their medications, and doing it in a consistent manner (assuming that it works) can help. The problem is that not everyone has the same lifestyle or education.

I would like to know how many people that go to this site know what on earth “Cardiovascular” refers to. If English was your second language, would you know what the heck they are talking about? Would you be drawn in to reading more? Also, how many people have computers and are savvy enough to somehow learn about this website? And the Medication Card is a great idea, but how many people have a printer, and how likely are they to refill this card every time they get a refill?

That just made me think…maybe patients should be required to get all of their prescriptions in one place. Kind of like you have one primary care physician, I think that one pharmacy should “own” your prescriptions. You could get a prescription filled out of state if need be (just like you could go to a clinic if you are sick), but then you go back to your regular pharmacy. Hmmmm

So, there are some great tools, and I think it would be good for pharmacists to use these tools. Show them what is out there, help them get started, and then send them home with all of their goodies that they can use online….assuming they have a computer with internet access…and a printer. And the medication reminders are great, if you are young and savvy and are comfortable with texting. I would venture to say that the majority of folks over 65 would rather have a real person work with them, and get frustrated by the new technology. Maybe we are just saying, “to heck with the older folks. Let’s get them at a younger age so that we can influence their actions as they age.”

These are great initiatives for the people currently under 65 and financially comfortable enough to have a computer and actually keep up to date on things. I am not so sure about a decent chunk of the population with low health literacy, low income, and multiple disease states. That’s going to require an army of people to work with them one on one, or in group session. I truly feel group sessions is where it is at.