What happens between my doctor sending a prescription to the pharmacy and me picking it up?
Does the pharmacy just have every single potential prescription sitting in the back and they count and portion it out as the order is received? Do they “make” any of the medicine on site? Seems unlikely for the pills with designated colors and markings.
And if a significant portion of the job is counting pills why do pharmacists require so much schooling?
In: Other
I’ll answer the last question: pharmacists are the last check between the doctor and the patient for drug allergies and drug interactions.
This is especially critical as patients who are aging, or who have multiple conditions, and who are seen by different doctors. Just because my cardiologist puts me on Metoprolol, doesn’t mean my pain management doctor won’t prescribe Tizanidine, which is contraindicated.
In an ideal world, every patient carries a list of current prescription and OTC meds, and every doctor is familiar with every drug interaction. But it’s not a perfect world, so there’s where the pharmacist comes in. It’s much, much more than just counting pills.
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