According to Finley, pharmacists are valuable resources to health care teams: pharmacists help clinicians prevent and identify problems associated with medication and offer medication management; pharmacists also recommend medications, educate other providers, and counsel patients. Indeed, this last role is critical: Gallup polls report that pharmacists are among the most trusted professionals in America. As a result, patients and families often turn to pharmacists for advice on medication and side effects.
Pharmacists play a part in making care more cost-effective. Finley described a study that found that the costs of treating adverse effects and side effects is almost $100 billion dollars, and that the involvement of pharmacists can lead to about $45.6 billion in savings.
Regulations on dispensing opioids have made some pharmacists reluctant to do so. The pharmaceutical industry and professional associations have begun to educate providers on the appropriate use of opioids for end-of-life care. Pharmacy schools have begun to include palliative care in their curricula, and may make it an area of specialization, which pharmacists now have in oncology, nutrition, and psychopharmacology.
The American Hospice Foundation (AHF) co-hosted the May meeting, titled "Promoting Hospice: National Strategy, Local Partners." AHF CEO Naomi Naierman discussed their efforts to educate the community about the benefits of hospice. Helen Fitzgerald, AHF’s Public Education Trainer and a national expert on children’s grief, shared a video describing her work with grieving children.
Following the presentation, the group focused on this issue from a legislative perspective, discussing how this year’s "Advance Planning and Compassionate Care Act" could increase the possibility that individuals’ treatment choices will be followed at the end of life.
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