A recent study seemed to actually connect the dots between healthcare practice and preventive medicine. This one looked at pharmacists. Seems about right since pharmacists have an opportunity to speak with just about every patient with just about every disease known. They are a one stop shop for healthcare information. As it turns out, some of them take advantage of that interaction.
The study found that pharmacists with greater than 20 years experience took advantage of this patient interaction more than those with 10 years. The patient population evaluated was COPD patients. When the patient came in to get their inhaled steroid medication filled, some pharmacists actually asked the patient if they knew that smoking caused their COPD and that continuing to smoke would only exacerbate their symptoms. Surprisingly, many of the patients didn't make this connection, which makes you wonder what their doctors are telling them.
So the next time you go to CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, or some other pharmacy, maybe, just maybe, your pharmacist will ask you if you are still smoking.
