NRT appears to be safe for pregnant women

I found this article from MSNBC.com today, reporting on a study from Denmark which shows that nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is safe for pregnant women. While more study is warranted to confirm this, this study does seem to answer a lot of the questions we have about using NRT in pregnant women. Last year, I was taught that the safety of NRT in pregnant women was unknown, and urged to use great caution when recommending NRT to a pregnant woman. However, based on the results of this study, it seems as though it would be appropriate for pharmacists to recommend NRT to a pregnant woman. This is important because it allows pregnant women to use over-the-counter methods to aid them in quitting smoking, which could save them a substantial amount of money. It also allows health care professionals more flexibility in treating pregnant women who wish to quit smoking, an absolute must for mothers-to-be. To help patients quit smoking, it's important to have as many options as possible on the table, and this study gives us more options for pregnant women.

Virginia Pharmacy adds to contraceptive debate

I found this article on MSNBC.com today about a new pharmacy in Virginia that does not dispense contraception of any kind...no condoms, no morning-after pills, and no birth-control. This issue is one that I am still really struggling with in terms of my own thoughts on the issue. I do feel as though business owners ought to be able to sell or not sell whatever they want, but I also feel that there needs to be access to these items in a given area, since many people do not share the Catholic view point on this issue. Perhaps states need to come up with rules that allow for everyone to be within 20 miles of a pharmacy that does sell contraception, I don't really know. It is a very difficult issue, and so I post this article to get everyone thinking about it, so that we as pharmacists can devise a solution to this problem that will satisfy both the pharmacist community and the patient community at large.

My first software-related post!

I realize you all must be quivering with excitement about me finally posting some software-related thoughts, so I will try my best not to disappoint.

I recently decided to download Epocrates Rx (it is free, after all) onto my Palm TX. In just a few days, I have found the software to be very valuable. I have already used it to answer a couple of family members' questions about various drugs and drug interactions, and just last night I used the calculator feature to prepare for a case study in my CPS class, using it to calculate a patient's CrCl and GFR. In addition, I have had the chance to play around with the program's features in my spare time (i.e. the time I spend avoiding studying). Granted, I do not have a whole lot to compare this software to yet, but my initial impression is that this is a going to be a useful tool for me in the future. I plan on bringing my PDA to work the next time I go in, which will make answering patient questions a lot faster, since the only drug information software I have access to at work, Clinical Pharmacology, has the tendency to run slow on the computers back in the pharmacy. The user-friendly interface also helps me find the information I want in a fairly quick manner. For answering patient questions, speed is important, and this product helps me find the information I want in a fairly speedy manner.

Hopefully, as the semester moves forward, I will have the opportunity to look at additional drug information software for the PDA, so that I can compare them and choose the ones are best for me. However, at the time being, I must say that I am impressed with the Epocrates product, and any future software I try will be judged in comparison to that.

Web 2.0 gives support to cancer patients

I found this great article on CNN.com today about social networking sites that offer resources and support to patients who are suffering from cancer and other diseases. Several weeks ago, we were shown a video in class about the impact that Web 2.0 is going to have on global society. As part of our online assignments from that week, I wrote about how Web 2.0 can impact my future patients by not only giving them access to a wealth of information, but also allowing them to interact socially with people all around the globe who may be suffering from the same ailments. Sites like the ones mentioned in the article could provide incredible amounts of social support, helping our patients cope with their illness. I believe that health professionals should be aware of sites like the ones mentioned in the article, and encourage our patients to visit them.

On a different note, hopefully within the next few weeks I will start actually publishing posts concerning different PDA products. In class we really haven't gotten into the nitty-gritty with the different PDA products, but once we do, I promise to publish some posts concerning my thoughts on those products, rather than simply search the web for interesting news articles to relay along.

Staying active even with chronic health conditions

While looking for articles for my weekly blog post, I came across this article on CNN.com. It is about health clubs across the country that are starting to design workout plans specifically for people with cancer, osteoporosis, and other chronic health conditions. This is important because I feel as though we need to do a better job of promoting exercise in people with chronic health conditions. We know that being overweight and obese plays a role in diabetes and heart disease, and that exercise can help strengthen the bones of people with osteoporosis, as well as provide extra energy to people with cancer going through treatment. Hopefully, as more and more health clubs start developing these types of programs for people with chronic disease, we as pharmacists will become aware of them and promote them to our patients. It will go a long way towards improving our patients' quality of life, which is what we should be concerned with as health care providers.