Drug Topics - December 10, 2007 - (Page 10)

10 DRUG TOPICS DECEMBER 10, 2007 www.drugtopics.com Letters Lost in translation: Immigrants should adapt I tled “Complaint filed against pharmacies for ab- just read your Nov. 2 on-line daily news article enti- sence of translation.” Interesting article. Then I got to thinking, Where are we talking about? I soon realized it was New York, America, English-speaking country. I can appreciate the fact that patients need to know information regarding the medications they are taking; however, I also realize that this situation was brought about because people who don’t speak English choose to live in a country that does. It begs the question, “Have any of these individuals made any attempt whatsoever to learn the language of the country in which they choose to reside?” From the article, it appears that a number of pharmacies have already gone above and beyond to help the individuals who have no interest in learning English, but that doesn’t seem to be enough. They would rather go to a pharmacy that doesn’t provide a specific service in their specific language and then file a complaint. That would be like your deciding to move to China and then filing a complaint because folks over there don’t take care of you in the English language! I have no problem with individuals choosing to live in our great country. What I have a problem with is individuals wanting to live in our country and making no effort to adapt, yet expecting everyone else to accommodate them in their native language. Tom Ostman Nebraska Pharmacist ursamajorminor@cox.net these medicines is usually due to the patients’ caregivers not reading or not understanding the label warnings. J. T. (Tom) Gulick, R.Ph., retired tgulick@cooketech.net Onus is on everyone to prevent errors When I read your July 23 article about the distinction between delayed-release and extended-release medications, I was glad somebody was paying attention. Physicians should be specific as to what dosage form they intend to prescribe. A physician who writes “Depakote 500 mg” does not give a pharmacist an indication as to whether it is delayed-release or extendedrelease. I think that pharmaceutical reps from Abbott who visit physician offices should attempt to bring such issues up when medications like Depakote are in question. Everybody in the healthcare arena has a responsibility for ensuring medication safety. Educating everybody involved is important. It is crucial that a prescriber writing a prescription for Depakote be very specific. On the pharmacy side, I strongly agree with the authors that marking the shelves more clearly to differentiate Depakote delayed-release from Depakote extended-release is a step forward in preventing medication errors. Uchenna Ani, Pharm.D. Walgreen Pharmacy Richland, Wash. animan11@hotmail.com Yes to a third class of drugs Organized pharmacy has been asking for a behind-thecounter class of drugs for more than 40 years. Pharmacists can and should be able to dispense and sell certain Rx-only drugs when appropriate for their patients. This class should include drugs that have side effects and other notable requirements that should be communicated to the patient before purchase or use. A case in point is the recent dustup about cold medicine for kids under two years of age. These medicines could be kept on the market and used if the proper warnings were issued and dose precautions taken. The misuse of Wishing you and yours the happiest of holiday seasons Letters (including e-mail) should be as brief as possible and sent with the writer’s name, address, daytime phone number, and date of the issue you are referencing to: Editor, Drug Topics, 123 Tice Boulevard, Woodcliff Lake, N.J. 07677-7664. E-mail address: drugtopics@advanstar.com. Correspondence may be edited for length and clarity. http://www.drugtopics.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Drug Topics - December 10, 2007

Drug Topics - December 10, 2007 Latebreakers Latebreakers in Depth Letters Health-System Edition - Cover Story Clinical Practice Professional Practice Special Report Technology Community Practice Unraveling Medicare 150 Years of American Pharmacy Rx Care In the Pipeline Cover Story: Fair or foul? Self-Care Chains and Business Government and Law Continuing Education: Natural Medicines for Bone Health New Products Advertisers Index Classified Viewpoint

Drug Topics - December 10, 2007

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