Pharmacist Patient Care
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More than 30 percent of Americans don’t have a primary healthcare provider, and those who do often face long waiting times to get an appointment. Once they do, the physician they’re seeing is often experiencing burnout due to their high patient volume.
This dire situation leaves patients with a difficult choice to forego care altogether or make do with higher-cost alternatives such as urgent care or the emergency room.
While the shortage of physicians and other primary care providers continues to increase, the U.S. healthcare system is sidelining 33,000 doctorate-trained (PharmD) pharmacists who are qualified to provide many medical services such as:
- Diagnosis and management of chronic diseases and minor ailments
- Treatment of minor emergency wounds
- Delivery of preventative health services
Weekend and evening hours make pharmacists some of the most accessible healthcare providers, especially in rural and underserved rural areas in which pharmacies are the central pillar of healthcare access.
Pharmacists are consistently ranked by patients as trusted healthcare providers for honesty and high ethical standards, and more than 90 percent of Americans live within five miles of a community pharmacy. In urban areas, that is reduced to two miles.
Giving pharmacists the ability to deploy the full scope of their training and experience—especially in rural areas and healthcare deserts—is a safe and effective way to alleviate the pressure of doctor shortages.