What the competition involved
The competition consisted of two rounds. Each team had to analyze a clinical case for drug problems and propose the best solution for the patient. The students who did the best in the first round advanced to the second one – the final round.
A patient with diabetes and hypertension
The first task of Oliwia and Jan was to check whether pharmacotherapy selected for their 70-year-old patient suffering from hypertension and diabetes was appropriate. The patient complained of fatigue, dizziness and balance problems. But there was more.
"The patient also planned to buy a drug against osteoporosis, so we had to prepare a short instruction on taking the drug and interaction with food and other preparations. The patient was also interested in vitamin D supplementation and asked us to recommend a product," said Jan Wójkowski.
"Silver" for helping a pregnant and diabetic patient
After being qualified for the second round, our students had to "take care" of a pregnant patient who came to the pharmacy with a prescription for insulin and vitamin B12. She explained that she had been diabetic for years and that her doctor had switched her medication for pregnancy. She was concerned about the effect of the new drug on her baby. She also reported back pain and heartburn, so she asked for safe preparations for those issues. She added that she had hypothyroidism and had doubts about whether hormonal treatment during pregnancy was appropriate.
"The patient also asked us about the point of using vitamin B12. We explained to her that it was associated with taking a diabetes drug before pregnancy, which could cause deficiencies of this vitamin, especially during pregnancy, when the need for B12 is increased," said our student.
The case required not only in-depth knowledge of pharmacotherapy, but also establishing good contact with the patient and skillfully explaining to her why she could not use her favorite preparations. In addition, the students had to demonstrate knowledge of which other health care professionals a woman should be referred to for further consultation.
The Student Pharmaceutical Care Competition is organized as part of the National Pharmaceutical Care Conference of the Polish Pharmacy Students' Society. The theme of this year's edition was "Pharmaceutical portrait of a woman: analysis, therapy, prevention". Why such a theme? As the organizers emphasized, women's health is one of the key pillars of modern pharmaceutical care, and each phase of a woman's life brings unique health challenges in which the pharmacist plays an increasingly important role.
