Quote:
Originally Posted by WVUPharm2007
I'm imagining a situation where they aren't in the aisles, but they are behind the counter like Plan B or Sudafed. Bring in your labs...the pharmacist will look at them. You have to read between the lines and see where this sort of thing would wind up if they went down the path...and that's pharmacists potentially gaining access to providing in-depth medication management.
|
Does the increase in OTC sales equate to more pharmacists? If not, there's no way we'll have time for this. Great in theory, but not sure about the practicality. Where are these labs done? Are they going to be more readily accessible than going to the doctor? Are these OTC preparations going to be much more expensive than prescription equivalents? I guess the primary motivation for patients to buy these over the counter will be to avoid having to go to the doctor and be able to get refills when they need them. I know that doctors are overburdened and this is one way to reduce that burden, but will there still be some requirement for patients to routinely see their doctor? Will compliance decrease because people will have to "answer to their doctor" less? I would think, too, that this would increase the licensing requirement for pharmacists as they would have to be more knowledgeable and stay up to date on disease states and medication management. I think there are too many variables and too little extra compensation to make this a reality any time soon.