Pharmacists around the Cayman Islands are hosting a ‘Brown Bag Medication Review’ on 25 September in celebration of Pharmacy Week.
Members of the public can bring their medications in to pharmacies across the island so that pharmacists can discuss their use of the medications and ensure that they are all being used correctly. The in-person discussions will give pharmacists the opportunity to identify errors in medication use that would otherwise be overlooked, according to a press release.
The medication checks are part of this year’s celebration of Pharmacy Week, which runs through 26 September. Under the theme of ‘Transforming Global Health,’ the Health Services Authority and the Cayman Pharmacists Association is promoting a self-care initiative that gives people with chronic conditions extra support and knowledge.
In a press release, Cayman Pharmacists Association chairperson and HSA pharmacist Khimanie Blackwood pointed out the link between the COVID-19 pandemic and the government’s role in the management of chronic and non-communicable diseases. Pharmacists have been contributing to the effort by seeing to matters around access to medications and health technologies as well as pharmaceutical care.
The new self-care initiative is part of the effort to give people living with chronic disease the ability to impact and transform their own health.
Blackwood said that regular healthcare and a sense of increased empowerment will help individuals help themselves and improve their lives. Though the self-care initiative promotes agency in individuals living with chronic illness, it is not intended to take the place of scheduled appointments with doctors and other medical professionals.
The medication review will take place from 10am to 1pm on 25 September, World Pharmacists Day. No appointments are necessary.
Members of the public can attend the review at the former location of the Flu Clinic at the Cayman Islands Hospital. This space can be found opposite the Seventh-day Adventist Church, to the left of the Accident and Emergency Department. The church parking lot is available for anyone attending the review.
Other activities planned in celebration of Pharmacy Week include a church service, a journal club meeting, continuing education, and radio interviews.
