Pharmacist's Impact in Patient Safety and Medication Use - Essay Example

Role of Pharmacist in Patient Safety and Medication Use Introduction Health sciences as an area of study is broad, and plays an essential role in making certain that the health and well-being of the global population is kept in check. It covers a wide scope, and that explains why it is sub-divided into several segments. In an ideal world, medication refers to any substance that is used for purposes of offering medical services to a patient, notably a drug. Patient safety on the other hand, refers to the aspect of health practitioners having freedom from healthcare related harm, which could have been prevented. In as much as patient safety incidents are always regarded as unintentional and undesired, they can either be classified as adverse or near miss. An adverse incident is a situation whereby a process of healthcare intervention has resulted in the patient being injured, and the injury sustained has not been brought about by the condition. On the other hand, an incident is termed as near miss when healthcare intervention could have resulted in injury for the patient. This essay aims to shed more light on patient safety and medication, notably focusing on the role of pharmacists in the provision of healthcare services. Moreover, it compares the function of pharmacists in Saudi Arabia to that of the United Kingdom. Role of Pharmacists in Patient Safety and Medication During the medication process, the major role that pharmacists are tasked with is minimization of errors that may come up. According to Gable and Stunson (2010), errors can be registered during medication within five steps. These steps include that of prescription, documentation as well as dispensation. In like manner, errors can be registered in the course of drug administration and during patient monitoring. In an attempt to make all the concerned stakeholders aware of the imperative role that pharmacists play, the WHO has re-classified the above-mentioned stages into three basic periods: prescription, dispensation and administration. It has been established that 39% of the errors that take place during medication take place during the prescription phase. This is brought majorly about by inadequate drug prescription knowledge, as well as the absence of an amicable relationship between the healthcare provider and the patient. At the same time, it has been established that some of the errors in the course of prescription can be brought about by mental slips in case of a distraction and calculation errors. (Gable and Stunson, 2010) similarly argue that quite a lot of medication related errors, notably 38% take place during the phase of administration. This high error incidence is majorly brought about by the event of using similar materials to package different drugs, lack of clear orders on how the drugs should be administered and sadly enough, the failure to double check. Poor handwriting, inability to make sense out of abbreviations, as well as the misuse of the trailing zeros has also been pointed out to result into about 12% of errors during medication. Dispensing is similarly responsible for about 11% of errors during medication, cases brought about by miscalculation, and in the course of distribution. According to (Gable and Stunson, 2010), medication is one of the processes that needs to be approached from a multidisciplinary angle. This is majorly because it the nurses, laboratory technologists and the doctors all have a role to play in maintaining patient safety. That notwithstanding, pharmacists have immense drug expertise, which they should share with all the concerned parties including the patient. This sharing of information will ensure that the well-being of the patient is maintained, notably in the course of administering the right amount of drug to the patient. To this effect, (Gable and Stunson, 2010) hold the opinion that the practice of inter professional collaboration should be instilled when the health care providers are still undergoing training in medical school. This will come in handy in ensuring that they are equipped with not only the necessary knowledge, but also the spirit of health sciences as a profession. One of the best mechanisms through which patient safety can be warrantied is when the patients have ready access to services being provided by pharmacists. (Gable and Stunson, 2010), hold the opinion that inability to access pharmaceutical services often results into low rate of recovering from various infections. This trend has notably been registered within rural regions that are quite populous. On the other hand, those who have easier access to pharmaceutical services, such as those in urban regions, experience high rate of recovery. Stakeholders should therefore work towards making certain that pharmacists are adequately trained, as that gives them the expertise to deliver high quality services. Comparison between Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom In the U.K, pharmacists habitually team up with other healthcare providers such as nurses and doctors, with the aim of promoting the quality of services they provide and ensuring safety. The alliance is of great significance as it reduces the prevalence of hospital-acquired conditions (Stephens, 2011). Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia who apart from work together with fellow practitioners, enlighten family members on how patients should go about the transition process, hence speeding the process of recovery, similarly practice this trend. Apart from making certain that, the patient is in good health; teamwork with other healthcare practitioners and family members is of great significance as it saves the cost of medication by making sure that the patient is not re-admitted. A survey carried out within the U.K established that bringing pharmacists on board when health practitioners are making critical decisions helps reduce the chances of drug related re-admission by 20% as well the chances of drug related complications (Stephens, 2011). In the U.K, pharmacists are required to submit reports on any cases of adverse related drug effects as well as re-admission. This comes in handy as it measures the level of improvement and efficiency of various pharmacists. It is imperative to note that such an event is not meant to discriminate any individual, but helps various stakeholders get the real picture of the situation on the ground (Killion et.al, 2006). Pharmacists offering their services in Saudi Arabia, who take part in medicational reconciliation process, where they accurately note down all the medical procedures carried out on patients, and avail this information to any future practitioners attending to the patient, similarly practice this trend. In both the U.K and Saudi Arabia, the advice provided by pharmacists is taken customarily into consideration when dealing with patients admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (Deter, 2006). This is because the body responds and binds to drugs differently when subjected to various conditions and pharmacists are better placed to make prescriptions and administer the right dosage to the patients. This in a way maximizes the survival chances of the patient and has contributed significantly to saving several lives. Various surveys have often established that ICU deaths are reduced by 40% whenever pharmacists are brought in the picture. In like manner, pharmacists in both the U.K and Saudi Arabia take part in the process of discharging patients. Bringing them in the picture normally ensures that the patient is stabilized, and minimizes the chances of readmission due to further complications (Deter, 2006). Pharmacists offering their services in both U.K and Saudi Arabia are tasked with the responsibility of identifying problems related to drug therapy and work towards resolving such issues. This trend is witnessed routinely in the course of either immediate hypersensitivity, which is brought about by humoral immunity or delayed hypersensitivity that results from cell-mediated immunity. Over and above, the role that pharmacists in both U.K and Saudi Arabia play in maintaining patient safety and in providing quality healthcare services cannot be taken for granted. This is because in conjunction with other professionals, they incorporate the latest innovations in the field of health science in the drug making process (Byers et.al, 2004). Similarly, pharmacists provide prescriptions, thereby assessing the legality, appropriateness and safety of any drug before administering it to a patient. Their role in clinical pharmacy cannot be overlooked as well, for they look into the history of patients, thereby understanding the correct dosage that should be administered to them. In an attempt to ensure that the overall health of the patient is kept in check, pharmacists in both U.K and Saudi Arabia habitually assess the use of drugs and at the same time monitor the advancements made in traditional medicine, and administering them whenever the need arises (Byers et.al, 2004). By understanding both the pharmacology and the pharmacodynamics of a drug, pharmacists are normally able to respond to any complications that may often arise following the administration of the medicine. In an attempt to stop the occurrence of non-communicable diseases including diabetes, cancer and obesity as well as the communicable ones such as HIV and ebola, pharmacists in both countries often take part in promotions, aimed at empowering the public on how they can best curb the incidence of such health conditions. Ethical and Legal Issues affecting Pharmacists A number of occupations are guided by codes of ethics, which are to be embraced by each associate of the professional community. Medication, which involves the practice of assessing symptoms, ordering tests, making diagnosis as well as administration of treatment is guided similarly by a code of ethics. Principles in the practice of health sciences and medicine is of great significance as it ensures that patient rights are respected, and that those of the health practitioners are not forgotten as well (Killion et.al, 2006). Some of the ethical issues that have overtime generated continuous debate include abortion. A section of the population has overtime held the opinion that it is disreputable, while others believe that it can be called for, notably when the health of the mother is at risk. The aspect of assisted suicide has in like manner generated much debate with people arguing that it is wrong. Over and above, it is far-reaching for health practitioners to keep themselves updated regularly on the principles that govern their practice. Reference Al-arifi, N. (2012). Patients perception, views and satisfaction with pharmacists role as health care provider in community pharmacy setting at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 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