in brief

Consumers should be proactive
during cough-cold season

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A recent national survey of 505 pharmacists conducted by Matrixx Initiatives found that 9-out-of- 10 pharmacists believe it is important for a patient to seek treatment early to help shorten the duration and severity of a cold. And 75% of pharmacists said that most patients should purchase over-the-counter cold-and-flu products at the first sign of symptoms — but only 26% of their patients take this proactive approach.

According to the survey, pharmacies increasingly are playing a more prominent role in patient care due to the anticipated severity of the cold-and-flu season and the current state of the economy. The survey found 87% of pharmacists anticipated an overall increase in the number of cold-and-flu patients seeking their counsel, and 85% agreed that the economic downturn will lead more patients to first come to their pharmacist rather than a physician.

“Early preparedness is going to be more important this cold-and-flu season; however, even with the threat of stronger, more virulent infections, pharmacists note that patients oftentimes delay treatment, allowing a virus to live longer,” stated Fred Eckel, professor of pharmacy practice and experiential education at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy. “The survey findings emphasize the important role of the pharmacist in educating patients with information about early treatment to shorten the duration and severity of a cold.”

Other key findings from the survey included:

• 85% of pharmacists agreed the economy has increased the number of patient questions about OTC products;

• 81% of pharmacists agreed that more patients are opting to purchase OTC medications, versus filling prescriptions, due to the economic downturn; and

• 81% of pharmacists reported making five or more recommendations per day for OTC cold-and-flu products.

Department of Health and Human Services, the flu shot finder can be found at www.google.com/flushot. The same tool also will be available shortly on www. flu.gov and the American Lung Association’s Web sites, Google reported.

For the moment, Google has data for locations of flu vaccines directly from 20 states and counting. “We are also continuing to add information from chain pharmacies and other providers in all 50 states; [in November], you’ll find results from chains, such as Walgreens [and] CVS, and PDX participants, such as Kmart, Duane Reade, WinnDixie and Giant Eagle,” the company stated.

winter 2009

Google launches ‘flu shot
finder’

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Google in November unveiled a new feature that allows people in search of either an H1N1 flu vaccine or seasonal flu vaccine to easily find nearby locations offering the vaccines.

Pieced together in collaboration with the

PTCB celebrates techs

WASHINGTON — The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board marked Oct. 27 as National Pharmacy Technician Day, to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of pharmacy technicians to the pharmacy team.

“Walgreens was the first to get behind PTCB certification for its pharmacy technicians,” said Kermit Crawford, SVP pharmacy at Walgreens. “I am proud of our [certified pharmacy technicians] that deliver optimal pharmacist support and patient care.”

Celebrations of National Pharmacy Technician Day occurred in pharmacies across the country.

And what’s a national day without a greeting card to mark the occasion? As a first this year, PTCB launched a special electronic greeting, which it made available to the public so that anyone — from front-office pharmacy executives to pharmacists to even patients — could show their appreciation for the contributions certified technicians make to the pharmacy team. The e-card was available at www.ptcb.org, which also is where techs can go to learn more about PTCB’s national certification program.

“On National Pharmacy Technician Day, PTCB applauds CPhTs who have passed the rigorous pharmacy technician certification examination and maintained their certification,” said Melissa Murer Corrigan, executive director and CEO of PTCB. “Thank you for the positive impact you make on the pharmacy team and safety of the patients you serve each day.”

PTCB has certified more than 345,000 pharmacy technicians since it began in 1995. Earlier this year, PTCB launched continuous testing with immediate pass/fail results.

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