Antibiotic resistance is continuously occurring. Here’s everything about how prepackaged medication dispensing is the solution.
Prepackaged medication dispensing may help curb antibiotic resistance through improved patient education, better control of medication dosage, simplified follow-up opportunities, and prudent antibiotic use via stricter labeling and dosage rules.
Prepackaged medication dispensing differs from other forms of medication packaging and dispensing in that patients can be given the medication they need, with implicit instructions to use a specific dosage, and no excess pills, thus avoiding overuse or unsafe disposal of antibiotics, and the resulting environmental contamination.
Direct dispensing at the point of care also improves patient care through improved patient convenience and medication adherence. These factors help practices justify the inclusion of a prepackaged medication dispensing program by providing physicians and hospitals with an additional source of revenue, while giving patients an additional choice if they wish to skip the trip to the pharmacy or receive their medication at the point of care after any given consultation.
Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem. In the US alone, an estimated 2.8 million people contract an antibiotic-resistance infection per year, and up to 35,000 people die annually as a result.
Curbing antibiotic resistance is currently made possible through responsible prescription and dispensing of medication, controlled use of antibiotics, antibiotic stewardship programs, and continued patient education.
Infection control programs and infection prevention alone has driven down the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant infections by a total of 18 percent, and as much as 30 percent in hospitals specifically. But it’s not enough. Point-of-care prescription medication can help physicians and private practices improve those numbers and contribute to the control and reduction of multi-drug resistant organisms.
What is Prepackaged Medication Dispensing?
Prepackaged medication dispensing or direct dispensing is a medical service physicians, private practices, and hospitals can offer to patients enabling the sale and distribution of medication at the point of care, rather than only the pharmacy.
While there are local and state-specific regulations around the sale and distribution of medication, prepackaged medication dispensing carries significant advantages for both physicians and their patients.
These include getting patients the medications they need immediately after a consultation and/or diagnosis, reducing wait times, eliminating the need to go to a pharmacy, improving patient convenience, eliminating the need to make calls to check drug stocks, and providing patients with a safer and easier way to ask questions about their medication, and seek further education on the proper dosage and use of their prescription.
Prepackaged medication dispensing can help reduce medication nonadherence and improve a patient’s understanding of their condition and their treatment.
Prepackaged Medication Dispensing and Antibiotic Stewardship
Antibiotic stewardship is a core tenet of preventing antibiotic resistance. It involves better controlling the distribution and use of antibiotics among patients and raising awareness on the importance of careful antibiotic use, infection prevention, and appropriate antibiotic use – such as completing antibiotic protocols (not skipping doses), only using your own antibiotics (not those prescribed to others), using antibiotics appropriately (i.e., not for a viral infection), and eliminating unused antibiotic drugs safely.
Antibiotic Resistance and Medication Nonadherence
Medication nonadherence is a common issue resulting in an estimated 125,000 preventable deaths in the US alone. A key part of eliminating medication nonadherence involves breaking down the barriers that stand in the way of affordable and convenient medical care. Poor medication adherence is contributing to antibiotic resistance, among a host of other healthcare problems.
Direct dispensing can help eliminate medication nonadherence by addressing certain key issues that contribute to it, including poor patient-doctor relationships, lack of access to medication, financial circumstances, lack of time, misunderstanding medication protocols, lack of follow up, and missing or forgetting doses.
Other Ways to Curb Antibiotic Resistance
Multidrug-resistant organisms are currently being managed through threat tracking and containment, infection prevention, infection control, and the continued efforts to curb the misuse and overuse of antibiotic drugs throughout the world.
The US stands third on the list of antibiotic users, just below China and India as the world’s largest consumers of antibiotics. In addition to implementing better controls for patients, limiting the prescription and dispensing of antibiotics, and improving patient education efforts, there are a number of other antimicrobial efforts that can help curb antibiotic resistance and minimize the number of deaths caused by drug-resistant infections, especially among children. These include:
- Avoiding inappropriate drug waste.
- Never leaving leftover medication.
- Never skipping doses.
- Never taking antibiotics prescribed to others.
- Promoting local and public awareness about antibiotic drug use.
- Voting against antibiotic overuse in agriculture and avoiding meat raised with excessive antibiotic use.
- Voting for regulations that address the use of antibiotics.
- And more.
Direct prepackaged dispensing programs can help private physicians and practices contribute to the reduction of multidrug-resistant organisms and antibiotic resistance.
Final Thought
At Proficient Rx, we help clients smoothly integrate direct dispensing into their day-to-day with minimal disruption. Our company is partnered with dozens of major generic manufacturers and organize client orders through our state-of-the-art repackaging plant, where we repackage branded and generic over the counter and prescription medication as per our clients’ needs and requirements.
We are NABP accredited and licensed by 45 state Boards of Pharmacy, and help our clients fulfill their respective state requirements to begin direct dispensing on short notice. No contracts, and no commitments – we do not have order minimums, and opening an account with us is easy.
Our turnkey dispensing platform is entirely web-based, allowing clients easy access from any web terminal in the office, and doing away with lengthy installation processes or frequent mandatory updates. No long phone calls or waiting periods. No risk of lost documents. All data is stored safely in the cloud, and patient orders and information can be securely managed and updated. Through our dispensing software, you can control what you need, and when you need it.
All clients manage and organize their respective inventories online and make orders through the platform. We care about quality and the supply chain, so we ensure clients get access to both online records and hard copy to comply with rigorous federal and state regulations, while strictly avoiding any HIPAA-related concerns. With Proficient Rx, you get to improve patient outcomes, improve patient satisfaction, improve patient care, and improve your practice’s reputation and revenue. Give us a call today to learn more.