Kristin Wiisanen, PharmD, FAPhA, FCCP, Pharmacy Today editor in chief
As pharmacists, we are the nation’s most accessible health care professionals. This accessibility has long given us an open door to answer patients’ questions in the midst of their busy routines and lend a hand to family members and loved ones involved in their care. While these are essential benefits, our accessibility gives us so much more than simply access. It also provides an opportunity for us to facilitate change and the power to create better conditions of care in our patients’ lives, as well as collaborating with other members of the health care team and community.
This is especially important in the context of structural racism, the topic of this month’s Pharmacy Today cover story (page 24). We are increasingly recognizing that racial health inequities are rooted in the structure of our society, policies, laws, rules, and practices. This recognition, in turn, brings opportunities for change. APhA President Sandra Leal, PharmD, MPH, FAPhA, CDE, asks pharmacists the question, “How do we use the power of our accessibility and trust to create better conditions for patients?” This means, among other things, looking at our patients through a lens of compassion and care. It also means continually examining our attitudes, behaviors, and speech—the structure of our interactions—for subconscious preconceptions, assumptions, or other patterns that may reinforce racial bias.
In this issue of Today, you will also learn more about barriers to care for American Indian and Alaska Native youth (page 41), one health system’s approach to pharmacist burnout during COVID (page 40), and the latest on new drugs (pages 14–16), ashwagandha for stress and anxiety (page 17), and use of cannabis for neurological disorders (page 19). Get strategies for addressing bias in patient communication to prevent systemic racism in this month’s CPE article (page 61).
For many of us, approaching our patient interactions from the perspective of structural racism adds a new layer to our mindset of accessibility and patient communication. But it is a layer that is essential if we are to move toward abolishing racism and health inequities. Reach out to your patients today. Ask hard questions. Advocate for your patients. Be an agent for change.
Have a great Today!