A Pharmiechick's Valentine Wish

I stumbled across this blurb of health news as I was eating my raisin bran this morning:

More women using morning-after pill, report finds

Considering the number of children I come across who are forced to bear the burden of being raised by completely incompetent parents, I appreciate the lowered restrictions on access to birth control and the morning-after pill.  I think it's great that women have a backup plan if their chosen method of birth control fails.  But I'm troubled by the National Center for Health Statistics study that indicates that 49% of women who have used the morning-after pill reported using after unprotected sex.  I would think that the fact that it is actually called PlanB would help clue in sexually active women that perhaps they should have a plan A in place before hooking up with guys that they would rather not procreate with.

With those thoughts still running through my mind, I moved on to my second bit of health news for the day:

 ’Ongoing, severe epidemic’ of STDs in US, report finds

Well, no kidding.  If you're hopping around looking for some action and don't already have an action plan in place to prevent pregnancy, obviously you don't have a plan A for STD prevention either.  And you know what plan B is for those?  An invigorating round of antibiotics.

No big deal, you say?  Then have a wander over here:

Untreatable gonorrhea threat rises in U.S., Canada

That's right, peeps.  In some cases, it appears that there is no plan B.  Yikes. 

I think it's alarming that, in a developed country like the US where casual sex has become so accepted since the advent of birth control, there is such a lack of knowledge of how safe sex actually works.  So let me put on my white coat so I can dole out some friendly pharmacist advice:

• If you're a chick and you're planning on hooking up with random guys, get yourself on some routine contraceptives beforehand.  Use PlanB as your backup, not your only method of birth control.
• Once you're on those contraceptives, unless you see a lab report saying they're absolutely disease free, you still need to use a condom with those random guys.  It's the only thing (besides abstinence) that is going to have a chance of stopping the spread of STDs.
• To the guys, sure, you're not going to get pregnant.  I guess if you do knock some chick up and don't mind being a dead-beat dad, you can pretend nothing ever happened.  But before you forget or "forget" to use a condom, just remember: the STD train goes both ways.
• In case I wasn't clear enough, condoms are cheaper than both babies and treatments for STDs.  They're also easier to obtain than the alcohol that is responsible for many of those babies and STDs.

I think it's a little strange that no one at NBCNews decided to have an original thought and combine the information from all three articles into something that could help educate a public that seems woefully uniformed.  I can't be the only person who recognized that the above topics are all related.  I know it is part of my job to educate my patients about contraception and STDs, but it seems that for a large number of women, the pharmacist can only counsel about birth control after the fact.  Because sex education seems to be neglected in some states, I think the media has an opportunity to help educate the public rather than just report.  I'm tired of reading articles like the one above concerning the STD epidemic, that explain studies but give no causes or solutions for the situation.  Would it have been so difficult for the journalist to mention that practicing safe sex would lower the risk of contracting an STD?  Even if he isn't capable of independent thought, there are tons of doctors that he could have approached for a quote.

Okay, the white coat is off and Doctor Sarah, advocate for the improvement of society through better education, has vanished.  As the off-duty Sarah Jane, I have to be honest and admit that, despite the seriousness of our country's ignorance of how diseases spread and what family planning requires to be effective, I find the combination of these articles showing up for me to enjoy on Valentine's Day kind of funny.  It's the little things that I appreciate the most.

Image courtesy of gubgib / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Hope you have a happy (and STD-free) Valentine's Day!!!

Governor Cuomo's Emergency Flu Response

Because of the increased rate of influenza in New York, Governor Cuomo has issued a state of emergency for the next 30 days that allows pharmacists to administer flu vaccinations to anyone over 6 months old. While normally I appreciate any advancement of pharmacy practice, this sort of action could be putting community pharmacists at risk. 

Legislation such as this could cause a dramatic increase to a community pharmacist's daily workload. Without an accompanying increase in pharmacist coverage/overlap, this is a dangerous situation and has an incredibly negative impact on the health and safety of all pharmacy patients. An overstressed pharmacist is an absolute danger to his or her patients.  

The best way for community pharmacies to respond to this temporary change is legislation is to increase pharmacist coverage.  Organize flu clinics and schedule a pharmacist who will focus only on administering vaccines during that time.  Have the information advertised on the local news.  Radio, television, and websites can disseminate this sort of  news incredibly fast. This course of action would not only be quick and easy to execute, but also the responsible reaction to such a sudden situation.

Because I know that the average corporation running community pharmacies is slightly less focused on the stress levels of it's pharmacists and a little more towards the bottom line, I know that such a scenario is unlikely to occur.  Getting corporate approval would probably take longer than this emergency will last.  And spending extra cash on an additional pharmacist to cover a four hour clinic (probably about $250 in wages) would be deemed an unnecessary expense.

Such a response would be a great advertising opportunity for most companies, considering the potential for community outreach and awareness.  I can only hope that some of the more customer-oriented companies might have this thought process.  If a company was willing to address this issue quickly, it would prove that they were truly responsive to the needs of the public and willing to quickly execute plans that effect on their communities at a very local level and in a positive way. I look forward to seeing what company, if any, grabs this opportunity.

Beyond the business aspect, a response such as this would ensure that the public will have access to the appropriate vaccines but still maintain a less stressful working environment for community pharmacists.  Such a response would greatly reduce the potential of adversely impacting the other areas of patient care being offered by community pharmacists today. Patient safety should be the main goal of any pharmacy at all times, and this is the perfect opportunity to prove how pharmacists and their companies are dedicated to the care, safety, and well-being of all of their patients every day.