Greater use of pharmacists to treat minor illnesses could potentially save millions of dollars in health care costs, according to new research.
The findings also indicate a way to improve healthcare access by expanding availability of pharmacists' clinical services including prescribing medications, amid an ongoing shortage of primary care providers.
Notably, if all of the illnesses in the three-year study that were treated at a traditional site of care had been treated by community pharmacists, it would have saved an estimated $23 million in health care expenses. The researchers found that for almost every minor illness in the study, pharmacy care was not only effective but cost much less, sometimes dramatically so. For instance, the study found that for an uncomplicated case of urinary tract infection, normally treated with antibiotics, a first visit to an emergency room cost on average $963, a primary care physician's office, $121 -- at the pharmacy, the average was $30.
As part of their education, pharmacists are trained in clinical evaluation of common illnesses, and as Akers pointed out, they already regularly make recommendations for conditions that can be treated with over-the-counter medications. The prescribing authority allows them to take their current practice to the next level if over-the-counter medicines are not enough.
There is more work to do to be able to expand this treatment at pharmacies, Akers added. This includes creating greater public awareness, so people expect this type of service at pharmacies as they now do with vaccinations.
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