As many as 50% of patients with chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and hypertension are not taking their prescribed medications properly.
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) July 03, 2013
Research shows patients are visiting their pharmacists up to five times more frequently than their physicians making the pharmacist’s role increasingly important in addressing the now world-wide pandemic of cardiovascular disease.
At a June medical communications conference held in Istanbul, Turkey, more than one hundred pharmacists gathered from around the world to discuss how they can help patients with heart disease reduce their risk factors and stay on their medications to improve life expectancy. Globally, chronic cardiovascular disease is still the number one cause of death with rising numbers being registered amongst women according the World Health Organization.
The pharmacy training program was delivered by a faculty of cardiologists, pharmacists, leadership coaches and healthcare communications specialists to an audience of hospital and community pharmacists from Poland, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Romania, Egypt and the Czech Republic. The two-day conference offered keynote lectures and 10 interactive workshops focused on the management of cardiovascular disease.
“Pharmacists are valuable members of medicine and the more we know and learn the better we can practice,” said one participant. Data shared during the conference reported that as many as 50% of patients with chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and hypertension are not taking their prescribed medications properly as reported in the BMJ Safety and Quality Journal and at least half are unable to make lifestyle changes that could help their condition such as weight loss, smoking cessation or regular exercise routines. Another study conducted by the Mayo Clinic revealed an alarming 90% of patients report being discharged from the hospital without knowing about the potential side effects of their medicines.
The pharmacy conference shared actual case studies and best practices for pharmacists to collaborate with physicians and patients to support therapeutic goals along with strategies to identify and empathize with patient attitudes about cardiovascular disease. Pharmacists also received practical tools on how to design pharmacy services and educate patients on the proper use of prescription drugs, the importance of behavior change and ways to cope with heart disease.
Program satisfaction surveys from the continuing education course organized by Innovaacom, showed that 90% of the pharmacists rated the program content and relevance to their practice as very good or excellent and 91% reported higher confidence in their ability to have conversations about heart health with their customers.
Innovaacom began offering training programs for community pharmacists in 2009 and continues to expand this service internationally. Innovaacom customizes CME and non-CME scientific programs that provide hospitals, physicians, community pharmacists and pharmaceutical industry leaders with access to new developments and emerging ideas in medical communications to elevate skills and careers. For more information on Innovaacom’s programs and professional development offerings, visit http://www.innovaacom.com/Innovaacom/About-Us.
About Innovaacom, L.L.C.
Founded in 2007, Innovaacom is a full-service medical education agency offering global medical communications training and instructional technology. A trusted partner to some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions, Innovaacom specializes in designing and developing CME and non-CME training programs that facilitate medical communications best practices in the international healthcare arena. Innovaacom has global offices located in the U.S., U.K. and Italy. For more information, visit http://www.innovaacom.com.