Continuity Amid Change

US Pharm. 2017;42(8):2.

U.S. Pharmacist consistently garners top rankings in annual industry readership studies, a testament to the quality that readers have come to expect. In this issue, readers will perceive subtle, yet noticeable, differences in article and department designs that evoke a more streamlined, modern presentation.

Transitioning to a new look, however, will not sacrifice our commitment to high-quality, peer-reviewed content—the underpinnings of our well-deserved reputation as “the pharmacist’s journal of clinical excellence.” In fact, readers can even more efficiently connect with our great material by virtue of a more open, accessible design. The excellent clinical content that pharmacists expect is now even more digestible in our new look.

In this inaugural, redesigned issue, maintaining clinical quality during change also rings true in the article “Transitions of Care” by Mariette Sourial, PharmD, and Michelle D. Lesé, PharmD, BCPS. During the transition in care from an inpatient setting to the home, they write, a patient is especially vulnerable to medication errors. This is where pharmacists are in an excellent position to lend their expertise and smooth this transition.

As the authors convey, the issue of managing pain is especially important as patients move to home care following inpatient procedures. Paradoxically, despite a rise in opioid misuse, patients still suffer from inadequate acute and chronic pain control. This is, in part, because patients may see multiple providers and be prescribed various analgesics including opioids and nonopioids, which may complicate their medication regimen and increase the risk of medication errors during transitions of care.

For this reason, pharmacists play a very important role in pain management as patients transition from one care setting to another. They provide such services as medication reconciliation, inpatient services, drug monitoring and assessment, patient and healthcare-provider education, discharge counseling, and postdischarge follow-up and planning.

Likewise, transitioning to the home following hernia surgery is challenging given the nature of this common procedure. As described by Kiran Panesar, BPharmS (Hons), MRPharmS, RPh, CPh, in “Managing Abdominal Hernias,” pharmacists are ideally placed to provide advice on the use of pain medications prior to and after surgery. Pharmacists can instruct patients who are taking OTC or prescription medications to inform the surgeon of this at least 1 week before surgery. For patients who have undergone surgery, the author adds, pharmacists can ensure that patients have the necessary products to care for the wound appropriately and provide wound-care tips.

We are certain that, despite the “painless” change to a more modern look and feel to the articles in U.S. Pharmacist, readers will continue to enjoy and benefit from the high-quality, relevant content they expect.