PSS Pharmacy Week 2010
| PSS Pharmacy Week 2010 – Health Carnival
Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore (PSS), with the generous support of Health Promotion Board, organised the Health Carnival at Toa Payoh Central Community Club on Sunday, 24 Oct 2010 from 10am to 3pm. This event marked the beginning of the Pharmacy Week 2010. Gracing our launch as the Guest of Honour was Mr. Lam Pin Woon, Chief Executive Officer of Health Promotion Board (HPB). The activity-filled program of the Health Carnival comprised medication check-ups, health checks, exciting quizzes, public talks by pharmacists, specialised smoking cessation counselling and many, many more. PSS thanks all the enthusiastic pharmacists who contributed towards Pharmacy Week and the Health Carnival. Pharmacy Week 2010, riding on the theme “Know Your Medicine, Get It Right!”, saw Pharmacists all over the nation contributing enthusiastically towards optimisation of medication use with 3 important goals in mind: 1. The importance of understanding one’s medications – its proper use, storage and possible side effects; 2. Encourage consumers to visit the pharmacists to get advice on ways to improve their lifestyle to better manage or prevent chronic diseases; or even seek help for treatment of minor ailments; 3. To minimise medication-related problems by encouraging those taking 5 or more chronic medications to get their medications reconciled by pharmacists. In a study done last year by PSS and NUSPS, 165 out of 221 (75%) participants/patients who received medication reconciliation were found to have drug-related problems (DRP). A total of 296 drug related problems (DRPs) were identified, with the top 3 DRPs being non-adherence (22%), unawareness of medication need/use (21%) and adverse effects of medications (14%). More than 80% of the subjects were 50 year old and above. This shows that one might get the best treatment plan from a Dr, but without proper medication use, the outcome is not achieved or one might be harmed instead. This year, besides creating awareness on how pharmacists can help patients and public, we want to send the message that it is important for people with 5 or more medicines to consult their pharmacist at least once a year for medication check-up (reconciliation). We will use the phrase “medication check-up” and not “medication reconciliation” as it’s easier for the public to understand. Source: |