In Oct 2007, PSS organized its annual Pharmacy Week event with the theme  “Know Your Medicines, Get It Right!”

The campaign kicked off with a 12-day island wide medication review on 21st November’07, whereby the public was invited to bag their medicines for checks at 87 participating pharmacies. The pharmacists helped the participants to organize their medicines for easy consumption and reinforced on the right way of taking them.  Pharmacists also communicated drug-related problems to the doctors to better manage the patients’ medicine therapy.

Pharmacy Week ended with a one-day Health Carnival at Kim Seng Community Centre on 4th November’07. Dr Lily Neo, MP for Jalan Besar GRC, graced the event as the Guest of Honour. Participants learnt more about taking charge of their health through activities like health exhibition, medication review, health screening, and health talks conducted by pharmacists. A group of pharmacist volunteers visited the less mobile elderly residents at the nearby one-room rental flats, bringing health services right to their doorsteps. One volunteer pharmacist had this to say about the house visit: “It was an enriching experience for me. It reminded me that in our daily practice we should be patient in our counseling to make sure patients fully understand their medications. The visit also revealed that there are many underprivileged and needy people out there where more can be done to help them. I also learnt to be more humble and to treasure and be contented with what I already had.”

“The aging population in Singapore is growing bigger, and as the elderly are the group of people more likely to suffer from chronic diseases and drug interaction problems, it is important that more attention and medical care should be given to them.
It has been a meaningful experience for both pharmacists and pharmacy students to take part in this community event, to be able to care for the needy elderly and to improve their quality of medication usage, and most importantly to prevent medication errors.

Pharmacists are not just here to dispense medications to you according to the prescription. We are more than willing to help people to understand their medications better, to prevent potential medication error, as well as to be a readily accessible and reliable source of information on drug-related problems and minor illness.” – Words from the Chairperson, Winnie Li, Watson’s Pharmacy.

From this campaign, 290 medication review was performed and 1844 medications were being reviewed. There were 7% drug interactions, 18% medicine duplication, 17% patient not aware of medication indication and 6% patients are taking expired medicines.

The message is clear. Go for regular medicine checks with your pharmacist and learn more about your medicine therapy.

Take charge of your medicines to get the best out of your prescribed therapy.  Medicine regimens are effective.

Corrinne Tan
Ex-officio
Public Education Committee, PSS

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