Offutt celebrates pharmacy week Published Oct. 24, 2013 55th Medical Support Squadron OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- Pharmacists at the Ehrling Bergquist Clinic are using National Hospital & Health-System Pharmacy Week, Oct. 21-27, 2013, to underscore the many new and vital roles they now play in patient care. The evolution has been especially dramatic in recent years as pharmacists have moved beyond compounding and dispensing medications to become vital members of multidisciplinary patient-care teams. Many consumers are not aware that pharmacists play a critical role in preventing medication errors, advising prescribers on the best drug choices, and working directly with patients to ensure they understand how to use their medications safely and effectively. Pharmacy Week is a great way to educate the public about how pharmacists can help them get the most benefit from their medicine. During Pharmacy Week, the Offutt pharmacy department will display patient education materials on medication safety and use, and recognize the tremendous service efforts of our pharmacy team members with special events. Hospital and health-system pharmacists have been able to take on enhanced patient-care roles because of a number of factors, including the deployment of highly trained, certified technicians and new technologies like robotics that dispense medications. As technology evolves--such as the addition of bar-code identifier technology to medication labels--patients will have greater opportunities to have a pharmacist involved in their direct care. Pharmacists are your accessible experts on the thousands of medications available today, helping to explain how each one works in the body, and the ways to use each one safely and effectively. New pharmacy school graduates receive six years of education focused on medication therapy, and many pharmacists practicing in hospitals and health care systems also complete post-graduate residency programs. In addition, pharmacists further serve as integral patient care team members by helping to advise doctors and nurses on the best medication treatment options, monitor patient medication therapies and perform quality checks to detect and prevent harmful drug interactions, reactions or mistakes.