The QT interval is the interval on an EKG that represents the time it takes for the heart’s ventricles to depolarize and repolarize. Long QT syndrome, caused by a prolonged QT interval, can be either congenital or acquired. Most acquired cases are caused by either electrolyte imbalances or medications. The most accurate way to diagnose long QT syndrome is by measuring the QT interval and correcting for heart rate, termed the QTc interval. Not much is known about the incidence of acquired long QT syndrome, but the prevalence of congenital cases has been estimated at 1 in 2,000 live births.

Every year an estimated 8 million healthcare workers are potentially exposed to hazardous drugs, which can increase their risk for acute and chronic conditions like cancer, reproductive and developmental toxicity, hair loss, nausea, and vomiting. Thankfully, today there are robust guidelines and technologies — like closed-system transfer devices and personal protective equipment (PPE) — that can prevent exposure to hazardous drugs. But this represents a long history of efforts to protect healthcare workers and caregivers from hazardous drugs.

Collaborative practice agreements, often signed between prescribing providers and pharmacists, allow pharmacists to offer added services to their patients under the supervision of a physician. In a previous post, we looked at state laws regarding collaborative practice agreements and how some states are using this tool to improve care in their communities. Here, we’ll look at how providers and pharmacists have come together to use collaborative practice agreements in a unique way. This has allowed them to reach more patients while also adding a revenue source to their practice.

Up to one in 10 Americans is currently living with diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and unfortunately that figure is projected to skyrocket to as many as one in five Americans by 2050. Although there have been significant strides made in glucose monitoring and drug therapy, diabetes still puts these patients at risk for a host of complications, including heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, amputations and nerve damage.

When you get a prescription filled at a U.S. pharmacy, you can feel confident there are strong systems in place that make sure the medicine listed on the bottle is contained within each dosage form. Manufacturers must adhere to Current Good Manufacturing Practices. Also, systems are in place to issue and quickly communicate recalls to pharmacies and laws to protect the supply chain. In other parts of the world, however, counterfeit and substandard medications remain a serious threat to the public’s health. Here, we'll explore the issue of substandard and counterfeit medications, what they are, and what is being done to address this global problem.

In a previous article, we interviewed three pharmacists who had followed varied career paths to get insight into the current labor market and conditions in the industry. However, another key aspect to consider when looking at the future of pharmacy, and of the pharmacy job market, is the pipeline of new pharmacists. Here, we’ll look at the decrease in pharmacy school applications and enrollment, as well as how admission requirements have changed over time.

The U.S. has the highest prescription drug costs in the world. In 2020, Americans spent almost $350 billion, or more than $1,000 per person, on prescription drugs. Research conducted by GoodRx also indicates that 40% of Americans struggle to afford their prescriptions. However, other countries use a number of proven strategies to keep costs down and improve medication access, and these models could be implemented in the U.S.

The development of a universal flu vaccine has been a hot area of research since the 1930s and is currently a priority of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This kind of vaccine could potentially eliminate the need for an annual flu shot, which would particularly benefit parts of the world where access to immunization services is limited. It might also offer better protection from the flu by preventing patients from getting sick with strains not covered by the annual shot. Here, we’ll look at recent advances on the path to a universal flu vaccine, what still needs to be done, and who is working on developing this vaccine.

In our healthcare around the world series, we have covered numerous countries across the globe, from Iran to Argentina, Finland, and beyond. In doing so, we have seen many ways pharmacy services are delivered around the world and discovered innovative practices that reduce costs and improve care. Because of the unique strategies different countries have developed, it can appear that each one has a completely different way of delivering healthcare. However, healthcare systems follow only a few different models, which countries, including the U.S., adapt to meet their citizens’ needs.

Community pharmacies are those that dispense medications to patients who aren’t hospitalized or in nursing facilities. This series explores how community pharmacy practice differs around the world. In doing so, it gives us the opportunity to view our own system in a new light and potentially find opportunities for improvement. We’ve covered the globe, exploring the practice of pharmacy in countries across continents, from Japan and Australia to Argentina and Finland. However, to date we’ve covered only two African countries: Malawi and Egypt. Here, we’ll expand on that by looking at community pharmacy practice in Nigeria.

E-waste is a growing problem globally. According to a 2019 UN report, the world generates more than 50 million tons of e-waste annually, at a value of $62.5 billion. Out of that, only 20% was properly recycled, and the remainder was trashed or recycled improperly, harming both people and the environment. There isn’t a lot of information available on how much of the world’s e-waste is generated by healthcare facilities, but in 2021 the global medical equipment market was worth $149 billion, and all that equipment will eventually need to be replaced. It is critical, and central to the mission of healthcare organizations, to pave the way to a more sustainable future for electronics. There are several things healthcare organizations can do to reduce their production of e-waste and move toward more sustainable use of electronics.

After graduation, wanderlust pharmacists might be considering taking their pharmacy education abroad. There are many ways to do that. Perhaps the most straightforward path, though, is practicing pharmacy in a traditional setting, like in the community or at a hospital. Still, the language barrier will make it difficult in most cases, unless it is another English-speaking country. In the first post in this series, we looked at how to take your pharmacist license overseas and work in Canada, New Zealand, the U.K., or Australia. Here, we’ll look at how to get licensed in four tropical island destinations: The Bahamas, Bermuda, Turks and Caicos, and the Cayman Islands.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light a longstanding history of everyday Americans harboring mistrust for the medical community. Many were hesitant, for example, to adopt the recommendations of public health officials, with mask and vaccine recommendations being among the most contested. Previously, we looked at the origins of medical mistrust, including events that shaped the attitudes and beliefs of a wide range of communities and created problems that persist to this day. In this post, we’ll examine ways the healthcare community can begin to address and rebuild trust in individual professions and in medicine as a whole.

Kevin Kim, PharmD, is a strategy insights and planning associate consultant. He feels that management consulting is an extremely rewarding yet little-known career path for healthcare professionals, including pharmacists. Here, we’ll look at how Dr. Kim discovered management consulting, the types of projects he works on, and his advice for other healthcare providers (HCPs) wanting to pursue this career path.

Let’s talk about Excel for pharmacists part of a professional development toolkit. By the time I left my job as a pharmacy project manager at a three-hospital system to move overseas, I was starting to develop a reputation as the Excel Guru. Although my job title on paper was ‘pharmacist’ I wore several hats, from pharmacy operations and compliance to finance.

Walgreens recently announced it would offer up to $75,000 as a sign-on bonus for pharmacists. This came as a surprise to many practicing pharmacists who had been hearing about shrinking demand and increasing numbers of pharmacists. So is there a pharmacist shortage? Here, we’ll dive into the job openings and demand situation for retail pharmacists. To get a sense of what’s happening on the front lines, we interviewed Alex Barker, PharmD, founder of the Happy PharmD, and Ken O’Shea, PharmD, a pharmacist who has worked as a recruiter for a chain pharmacy. We also interviewed a district manager (DM) for a chain pharmacy who wished to remain anonymous.

Green chemistry promises to transform society by allowing us to enjoy and benefit from the numerous chemical products we interact with regularly, while minimizing the risks their production brings to the environment. In healthcare, one of the most active areas of research into green chemistry is in medication manufacturing. But there are a number of other healthcare sectors that can benefit from green chemistry’s innovations.

Community pharmacies are those that dispense medications to patients who aren’t hospitalized or in nursing facilities. This series explores how community pharmacy practice differs around the world. In doing so, it gives us the opportunity to view our own system in a new light and possibly find opportunities for improvement. We’ve covered the globe, exploring the practice of pharmacy in countries across continents, from Japan and Australia to Argentina and Finland. Here, we’ll look at community pharmacy practice in our next door neighbor, Canada.

Education is a big investment, especially for healthcare providers (HCPs). In fact, the average medical student will graduate with over $200,000 in debt, and the average pharmacy student will graduate with around $170,000 in debt. While some HCPs’ higher-than-average salaries help pay off student loans, that’s not true for all. So many HCPs graduating with debt may be wondering what happens if they’re unable to pay. In our first article on student loans, we covered what happens if you die before you are able to pay off your loans. Here, we’ll look at what happens if you are unable to make payments on time.

After graduation, wanderlust pharmacists might be considering taking their pharmacy education abroad. There are many ways to do that. But, perhaps the most obvious way is practicing pharmacy in a traditional setting, like in the community or at a hospital. Still, the language barrier will make it difficult in most cases, unless it is another English-speaking country. Even restricted to English, though, pharmacists still have lots of countries to choose from. In part one of this series, we’ll look at Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Here, we’ll go through an overview of how to get licensed as a pharmacist abroad in countries that will allow you to practice in English.