''Pharmacists do NOT think they are doctors'' Vexed Lailan sets records straight

Hello Laila, please publish this. It's about the guy that recently blasted a pharmacist for a medication error.

About this, if I was the Mr, I'll be very MAD at the pharmacist, I mean, that was my life, yo! It's logical and very normal. But I'm a young female pharmacist, not totally neutral in this case but I'll try to be as unbiased as possible. 

I'm not about to justify the pharmacist's actions or fault the Mr or anyone else, I only aim to bring out some salient points from this issue, share some knowledge about matters like these, and promote unity. 

The Mr asked for a particular antibiotic for his unresolving cough(self medication which we all try to discourage, besides antibiotics shouldn't even be sold OTC), asked for the
pharmacist's opinion, she advised him on a better drug as regards efficacy, compliance and easy dosing (which is right and backed up by studies), gave the information and advice that should go with the drug and yeah it worked! 

But she missed out a major point (that 0.07% of patients who used the drug experienced status asthmaticus as a side effect), if she had mentioned, he might have rejected it and all parties would be fine, but I guess she figured that the % is almost negligible and can be overlooked since it is a very rare side effect (now anyone can do this, even a doctor,trust me I've seen such cases. If each patient was told all the side effects of the meds they are prescribed, theyll resort to only fasting and prayer and will not even go near any drug ever). 

Funny thing is, the same antibiotic in question has been used to manage  bronchial asthma in various clinical studies. Other factors might have been responsible for what happened to him, e.g. allergens, other meds that he was taking but those were probably not looked at, left to them, it was all the pharmacist's fault. The other antibiotic he self-prescribed can also cause Steven-Johnson's syndrome (remember the serious burning of the skin when Septrin is used by some people? Yeah, that! ), if he had gotten that one and developed this syndrome, whose fault would it have been? Yet he didn't react to it in the previous times that he used it. Same way other people have used the antibiotic he was given and didn't react to it. 

Mr should've just gotten a prescription from his two highly trained specialist doctor parents instead of self medicating or asking for the  pharmacist's opinion (tho this is right) and save us all these stress. I'm sure while he was being managed in the hospital, pharmacists were involved( they definitely didn't treat him with water, drugs were used) cos a good hospital should always have pharmacists on duty.

Now Mr said 'Pharmacists should just do what they're told, You are not doctors'

Oh yeah, we are not doctors (I don't wanna be one cos I can't stand the sight of blood, my legs will start shaking) but we CANT JUST DO WHAT WE'RE TOLD and that's because we're not trained to be just dispensers. Pharmacy school training is for 5+x years, practical training for 1full year, nysc training for another 1year, all that before a pharmacist license is given and we're supposed to just do as we're told?  I can definitely learn how to JUST dispense within a month o. I refuse to be underused. We were trained to work hand in hand with other health care practioners to ensure the overall good health and better quality of life of our patients by giving the best up to date drug info and advice, REVIEW and interprete prescriptions, detect therapeutic incompatibilities, control the use of medications by monitoring drug therapies and making pharmaceutical interventions when necessary. 

Yes, we can do all these because we are well versed in the 'genetic makeup' of drugs (the chemistry right from the first carbon to the last hydrogen, dynamics, kinetics, etc of all drugs), we know how you can possibly react to it, how it reacts to your body, and how you can get the best from them! 

We do not go about giving injections  (even though some of us have the ability to cos we know how it should be given, flow rate, precautions, combinations et al), we kinda have too much on our hands already, it's not in our job description and hey, there are other members of 'our team' that can do that perfectly! When lab tests are required, patients are referred to Med Lab Scientists, every one has their job description and should stick to it. 

This is a wake-up call to my fellow pharmacists, stay in your lane, know when to refer (not when you can't handle it anymore), as much as possible,liaise with a med doctor before concluding on a med to give a patient (though that's almost impossible where most Docs tend to just give orders instead of being open to suggestions and proper communication), try to learn new things about drugs everyday (there's always something new), and commit your career to God so He can give you guidance each step of the way. 

Beneath all the social media outbursts about pharmacists and doctors is a serious powertussle that the public might be oblivious to, which to me is totally unnecessary. If everyone does their jobs and not try to outdo one another, acknowledge their mistakes, make the patients health their priority, there won't be time to even fight over who is superior to the other. 

Anyone can make mistakes, pharmacists are not God, doctors are not God. Personally, I have witnessed many mistakes by doctors, cases of overdosage and underdosage, wrong meds for particular illnesses, contraindicated meds, various drug interaction problems and even severe side effects (like this case) but you hardly ever hear of such in the news and that's because we, as pharmacists, were trained that in such cases, we should talk directly to the prescribing physician, bearing the benefits to the patient at heart, that way, the mistake is corrected, patient gets better and doesn't lose his confidence in the physician, all parties are fine. 

Now reverse the situation and let the pharmacist make a relatively 'slight' mistake (no mistake is slight though) of a dosage error, the war is on his head just because #powertussle 

Lastly, our dear patients, try to work with the knowledge of BOTH a pharmacist and a doctor, because in the long run, you're at the receiving end, whether the Pharm or Doc makes the mistake.  Love yourself before you 'adore' any healthcare worker, learn about your meds and your condition, ask questions and give details, we are all ready and available to help. 

By the way, ALL drugs have side effects, some people get them, many don't, if majority got life threatening side effects from a particular drug, it won't even be in the market in the first place. Even the 'glorified' most abused Paracetamol isn't too good on your liver. Lol! Don't be scared, it is safe to use when needed.

Pharmacists do NOT think they are doctors. 

#endofrant

#pharmacistsarenotdoctors #doctorsarenotpharmacists #saynotopowertussle #proudpharmacist #pharmacovigilance #mistakes #weloveyou #asmenofhonourwejoinhands

Please post this.