Marine Corps Base Quantico -- Pharmacists at the Naval Health Clinic Quantico aim to get to know military families more and educate them on medication in honor of American Pharmacists Month. From Oct. 21 to 25, the clinic’s five pharmacists will rotate manning a counseling station, where patients can ask questions about their medications, discuss problems and receive advice. Pharmacists will then print out and write a medication reconciliation form for the patient to reference.
“We’re encouraging people to bring all of their medication in, including over-the-counter herbal supplements, and then we’ll look through them all to make sure they’re not expired or providing duplicate therapy,” said Erica Jefferson, a pharmacist at NHCQ. “A lot of patients who see multiple doctors and may not know to discontinue taking something because a doctor has written something new, which leads to people taking way too much stuff.”
Since pharmacist typically spend the majority of their time behind the counter at the clinic, Kim-Nga Huynh, a pharmacist at NHCQ, said this event will give them an opportunity to connect with the military community aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico.
“The more they get to know us, the more comfortable they’ll be with sharing information about their medications,” Huynh said. “As healthcare providers, our goal is to provide safe, effective care for our patients and this is one way we can do that.”
Lauren King, dietician at Semper Fit, will also attend the event to discuss nutrition and exercise regimens in conjunction with medications.
Right now, there clinic has a display table in the waiting area where clinic patrons can pick up medication safety information, pill boxes, magnets, stickers, pens and pharmacy business cards.