EDITOR'S NOTE: At Pharmacy Practice+ and CanadianHealthcareNetwork.ca, we are convinced of the value and importance of a pharmacist's care, particularly for vulnerable patients on multiple medications and with complex conditions.That's why we're pleased to join pharmacist and blogger Ken Burns in his quest to gather and document pharmacists' patient care stories into an archive that can be used to support the case for pharmacy's value.Every pharmacist has a special story to share. To share yours, after reading Ken's blog, either type your story in the comments, or click the email form provided. Or, take a while to think about it and come back later with your story. There's no limit to the number of stories you can submit, in fact the more the better! We'll gather all of your stories together to produce a document that will serve as an incontrovertible argument supporting the value of pharmacy care to our healthcare system.Y’know, I saw a patient today. The gentleman has multiple health problems including declining kidney function, heart failure, diabetes, kidney stones, hypertension, dyslipidemia, complications of a motor vehicle accident, possible GI bleeding and neuropathy.He represents an increasingly common kind of patient. Not surprisingly, dealing with multiple specialists, tests, clinics and more can be a trying experience for these people. And some of the challenges go beyond accessing and coordinating all of the places they need to go and people they need to see.One of the more common sources of problems is when prescribers disagree on what therapy to choose, and the mixed messages that result. We all know of patients who have been told to do one thing by the cardiologist, another from the nephrologist, something different from their family doctor, and so on.That’s why I was impressed when he mentioned his pharmacist. We were reviewing his MedsCheck assessment (score one for our profession!) and reviewing some changes—a new therapy in particular.Why are we not collecting these stories and incidents into a cohesive and incontrovertible account that payers and public have to listen to for their own good?I should also point out that this gentleman is a month away from a decision about a heart transplant or four lead pacemaker—he has a lot going on. He mentioned that he was happy that his drug therapy was finally getting cleared up because there had been a conference call between the different doctors involved in his care.I’m not sure about where you live, but where I am this is almost unheard of. That it is needed is an entirely different discussion.It, of course, piqued my curiosity, and I asked him how this came about. He told me his pharmacist had set this up, joining in his frustration with the constant medication changes and confusing messages about therapy. She had somehow managed to get all of the doctors together and joined them on the call to sort out what would be done.Brilliant! And there is a definite need. And who better to do this? The pharmacist is the one without bias (we respect all body parts equally, and our egos are a little smaller), and the one with the most balanced knowledge of pharmacotherapy. Why wouldn’t this be a role for pharmacists? Bravo, I say.Before we diminish this life impacting intervention by complaining of lack of time, payment, recognition and respect, let’s revel in the fact that a pharmacist did something that needed to be done, did so with initiative, appreciating the patient-specific need and stepped into something that had no reimbursement save a life made better.Why are we not collecting these stories into a cohesive and incontrovertible account that payers and the public have to listen to, for their own good?Instead of complaining, why are we not collecting these stories and incidents into a cohesive and incontrovertible account that payers and the public have to listen to for their own good? There is lots of proof, but we need to show the size of the impact.This particular intervention could happen in every pharmacy practice in the country, and probably often enough that tens or hundreds of thousands of patients will benefit. And this is just one intervention—think of all the other possibilities.Please don’t say you do not have time to document. Can you find time to write down your timesheet at work? Book your holidays? Book a tee time? Google a question about a celebrity? Where does this fit in a priority list? Somewhere around the first one, methinks.Y’know, I am thinking of collecting these stories. Send them in. I will put them in a box. And when there are lots in the box, we can start working together on getting the word out. Someone has to do it.Ken Burns is a pharmacist at the Diabetes Care Centre at Sudbury Regional Hospital.
