Pharmacists Should Collaborate with Other Medical Professionals to Provide Continuity of Care

Pharmacy Times spoke with Maricela Lara-Nevarez, PharmD, pharmacist-in-charge and senior manager of clinical services at RxCrossroads by McKesson, about how pharmacists can most effectively care for their patients both during and after the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Lara-Nevarez said collaborating with other health care providers is key, both to have the full picture of the patient’s health and to relay information back and forth. As the most accessible health care providers, pharmacists can often have insight into patients’ concerns that physicians or others may not be aware of.

She added that a holistic approach to patient care is also essential, including caring for their mental and physical health as well as financial concerns about their treatments. Some ways to begin developing this holistic care may include hiring pharmacy team members who speak other languages so that they can communicate with patients or utilizing technology that can translate instructions to the patient.

“These are the types of things, these little things that you can do to ensure that the patient really does understand how to make the best use of their medications by understanding it completely in their native language,” Lara-Nevarez said.