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Pharmacist-Run Diabetes Clinics

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As the gap between reaching optimal medication therapy for diabetes management grows, so does the need for improved medical centers. But how does this happen? If pharmacists were to “utilize their clinical expertise in monitoring and managing diabetes medication plans to positively impact health outcomes and empower patients to actively manage their health,” then the number of people with diabetes could decline (Smith, 2009). Pharmacists are highly accessible medical professionals that are not used to their full potential (Smith, 2009). They are an essential component of the American health system that could easily educate patients struggling with diabetes (Shane-McWhorter, 2005). The implementation of pharmacist-managed diabetes clinics …show more content…

A patient is referred to the medical center by a physician after which the doctor, patient, and pharmacist collaborate the best option for a successful health plan. The American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) came up with a framework to generate an ideal practice of Diabetes Self-Management Training (DSMT). The process was an interactive and collaborative one that convoluted a patient with a diabetic educator(s). “The steps of the procedure were comprised of assessing an individual’s educational needs, determining one’s self-management goals, educational and behavioral intervention, and evaluating the progress of a patient” (Shane-McWhorter, 2005). The educational behaviors that have been identified as essential to living a healthy lifestyle are called the AADE7TM. The behaviors include: healthy eating, physical activity, medication taking, monitoring, problem solving, healthy coping, and reducing risks. Pharmacists and their patients then set accomplishable goals based on those practices and after determined time periods evaluate the patients’ progress (Shane-McWhorter, n.d.). The United States currently allows pharmacists in 37 of the 50 states to prescribe and administer diabetes medication to their patients through the use of collaborative drug-therapy management (CDTM) (Leal, Herrier, Glover, & Felix, 2004). “Collaborative drug-therapy management

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