New Book Helps Pharmacists Prepare For Role In H1N1 And Other Public Health Crises

Main Category: Swine Flu
Also Included In: Pharmacy / Pharmacist;  Flu / Cold / SARS;  Public Health
Article Date: 06 Oct 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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With the flu season and the H1N1 virus looming, pharmacists are increasingly being called on to take a more active role in public health, from immunizations to disaster planning and management. ASHP's new book, Pharmacy in Public Health: Basics and Beyond, provides pharmacists and other health care practitioners with critical information they'll need to play a much-needed role in public health, for flu season, emergency preparedness, and chronic disease prevention and management.

Pharmacy in Public Health: Basics and Beyond is divided into three useful sections, each of which builds on the next. First, the authors introduce practitioners to the fundamentals of public health. Next, the book helps readers build a skill base by presenting necessary tools and measures of public health. Finally, applied models of pharmacy and public health practices detail real-life solutions to issues, such as providing immunizations in a community pharmacy.

Pharmacists and other health care practitioners can ensure they're prepared for challenges such as:

- Responding to public health crises such as H1N1 virus
- Providing immunizations
- Ensuring emergency preparedness
- Managing the obesity and diabetes epidemics

Within the book, fully integrated cases and model scenarios provide real-world applications. Learning objectives, figures, tables, and key terms clarify and guide readers through important concepts. Thought-provoking discussion questions and suggested readings help readers understand how the concepts and cases can be used in their own communities and practices. The book's website, http://www.ashp.org/publichealth provides PowerPoint slides, image files, and additional cases for extra material.

"With Pharmacy in Public Health: Basics and Beyond, pharmacists can start preparing themselves now for public health issues that lie ahead, and begin making a difference in their community's H1N1 challenge today," said co-author Jean Carter, Ph.D., Pharm.D., associate professor of pharmacy administration at University of Montana's Skaggs School of Pharmacy. Co-author Marion Slack, Ph.D., professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Arizona, agrees, "Our hope is that readers will use what they have learned to make an impact in public health, whether in their own local community, for national public health initiatives, or for the global community."

About the Authors

Jean Carter, Ph.D., Pharm.D., is an associate professor of pharmacy administration at University of Montana's Skaggs School of Pharmacy, and an affiliated faculty member of the school's public health program.

Marion Slack, Ph.D., is a professor of pharmacy practice at University of Arizona, where she is Principal Investigator of an interprofessional training program for rural and underserved communities in community health.

Source
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)