I learned so much throughout this course that really makes me feel more sympathetic towards the Underserved and Vulnerable Population. Many populations are put into a vulnerable situation because of their lifestyle. Someone can have asthma but can't afford to pay for their co-pays therefore leading to them not being adherent to their medications. This person may even be working in a health environment that's not healthy for them to be breathing in all the time. Some individuals can't help themselves and we at the United Way of Allen County come in to help. We want to find out what are the biggest issues the populations here are dealing with and make a change about it.
Being a Student Pharmacist, I have become more sympathetic and understand of why some individuals argue about their co-pay or aren't adherent to their medications. We have to explain it to them why taking their medication is important in patient terms. An example can be Iron, being a Pharmacist we can explain to the patient how the drug works in a way which they can understand. If I tell my patient that they must take their Iron and if they ask why is it so important I can live without it, I can say Iron helps deliver red blood cells carrying oxygen from the lungs to all over the body. And once the oxygen is delivered, the iron helps the red blood cells carry carbon dioxide waste back to the lungs to be exhaled. So if you aren't taking your iron, you aren't having enough oxygen delivered to your lungs resulting in organ damage. Also, your heart is working harder to make up for the lack of Red blood cells in your body causing you to feel more fatigue.
We can make a change in the community especially being a Community Pharmacist because we are the ones who see the patients more often. Patients must be treated with respect, kindness and they should be understood. We can make a difference in our patients lives.
- Mehvish Elahi
Being a Student Pharmacist, I have become more sympathetic and understand of why some individuals argue about their co-pay or aren't adherent to their medications. We have to explain it to them why taking their medication is important in patient terms. An example can be Iron, being a Pharmacist we can explain to the patient how the drug works in a way which they can understand. If I tell my patient that they must take their Iron and if they ask why is it so important I can live without it, I can say Iron helps deliver red blood cells carrying oxygen from the lungs to all over the body. And once the oxygen is delivered, the iron helps the red blood cells carry carbon dioxide waste back to the lungs to be exhaled. So if you aren't taking your iron, you aren't having enough oxygen delivered to your lungs resulting in organ damage. Also, your heart is working harder to make up for the lack of Red blood cells in your body causing you to feel more fatigue.
We can make a change in the community especially being a Community Pharmacist because we are the ones who see the patients more often. Patients must be treated with respect, kindness and they should be understood. We can make a difference in our patients lives.
- Mehvish Elahi