what do pharmacist do anyway? Every time I go to the pharmacy, I see a lineup of people behind the counter doing something I’m sure they’re counting up pills, but did they do anything else?

Question

what do pharmacist do anyway? Every time I go to the pharmacy, I see a lineup of people behind the counter doing something I’m sure they’re counting up pills, but did they do anything else?

In: 215

Answer 1

ICU doctor here.

I agree with most of the descriptions already said, but I want to emphasize a few things that haven’t been mentioned.

Pharmacists also work at hospitals, and one of the biggest things they do is help with treatment decisions. They advise me on medications like chemotherapy, and antibiotics. They save the hospital and patient money by selecting cheaper and better medications. They improve patient care by reminding me that a patient might benefit from stress ulcer prophylaxis, or that a certain medication might work better. They adjust doses of medications for patients receiving dialysis and ECMO. Just like when I consult a neurologist for when a patient has a stroke, I think of a pharmacist as a medication expert, and every patient I treat receives medication. I don’t make any major inpatient medication decisions without pharmacist involvement.

They catch mistakes, and they do it better than any other allied health professional.

In my observation, in the [Swiss cheese model](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_cheese_model), the pharmacist is the slice with the fewest holes. I think they save more lives in the hospital than anyone else, and they get almost no credit for this. Many patients have no idea how much they owe to their pharmacist, and many hospital administrators don’t understand their value.

Too few hospitals include a clinical pharmacist on rounds, and many only relegate their pharmacists to central supply, where they verify orders. Having a pharmacist on rounds makes me a better doctor, and allows me to efficiently manage several more patients. Our hospital system is nationally recognized for high outcomes in quality, and a key reason for that is our use of clinical pharmacists.

So, if there are any pharmacists reading this, please know that you have my sincere respect and thanks.