Room One

What enables Albuquerque Indian Health Center (AIHC) pharmacists to provide great pharmaceutical care?

This is what I have observed in the past two weeks:

1. Three consultation rooms!

“Joe Smith in Room 1!” announces an intern into a microphone that projects to the waiting area. But before calling out the name, he/she must make sure that: (1) the medications are matched to the right patient; (2) he/she knows how to counsel on those prescriptions; and (3) he/she is prepared to probe for new information. This ensures that the prescription verification process is carried out from drop-off to pickup.

Then the intern and the patient have a one-on-one conversation about the patient’s medications and other related issues in the privacy and protection of an enclosed counseling room.

This takes up too much time, you may say, but keep in mind that there are three counseling rooms. Also, a pharmacist pointed out to me that one of the biggest mistakes in counseling is to tell a patient things he/she already knows - this would waste both the pharmacist and the patient’s time. Instead, fill in any gaps of knowledge and try to attain relevant information that is unavailable in the patient chart.

2. Access to electronic health record

All the clinics at AIHC use one electronic health record system. Pharmacists can access a patient’s lab results or read physician/nursing notes when deciding whether a prescription is the optimal treatment. This empowers the AIHC pharmacists with a tool that many community pharmacists lack.

A different point of view…

The way a doctor or a nurse would use information in the electronic health record is drastically different from the way a pharmacist would due to their different roles in the patient care process. AIHC's computer system allows the health professionals to customize the appearance and organization of patient information according to the needs of the profession.

3. Culture of AIHC

The health professional team at AIHC provides a nurturing environment for pharmacists to do more. Physicians automatically refer suitable patients to anticoagulation, tobacco cessation, emergency contraception, and dyslipidemia programs run by on-site pharmacists. In this way, pharmacists are bestowed the task of managing many of the chronic conditions for patients, which frees up time for doctors to diagnose and to treat acute conditions. This collaboration is an effective use of the expertise of both doctors and pharmacists.

"Red or Green?"

“So… where is a good place to get green chili?” My casual question started a fervent discussion with episodes of laughter, as everyone drools over descriptions of his/her own favorite preparation (which are all different) of this New Mexican staple.

So far, I have tried green chili (the whole pepper), green chili salsa from a local store, and breakfast burritos with red and green chili sauce on the side. “Red or green?” is a common question asked in New Mexican restaurants where chili can be added to almost everything, from burritos to enchiladas to pizzas and even to eggs! “Christmas” is the local lingo for wanting both.

Adobe

I also adore the adobe houses on the residential streets of Albuquerque. The Pueblo Indians favored using adobe to build shelters due to its ability to keep the interior cool during the day and warm during the night. I like looking at them, and they've been my incentive to jog at dusk every other night.