ALEXANDRIA, Va. — In a global "tweet-a-thon," pharmacists took to the social media platform Twitter with thousands of tweets depicting how the profession is taking a bigger role in health care, according to the National Community Pharmacists Association.
NCPA said that as of Thursday, when the tweet-a-thon launched, more than 5,000 tweets were sent by pharmacists via the hashtag #Pharmacist. The event came amid American Pharmacists Month in the United States.
The association reported that 51 international, U.S. and state pharmacy organizations encouraged their members to participate, and 20 other organizations were involved.
According to NCPA, some of the tweets sent by pharmacists included the following:
• @austinrussian: Just prevented a 1-year-old from receiving a full adult dose of Zofran (8x the maximum dose allowed) #pharmacist.
• @pharmerWu: Spoke to a patient on antidepressants having panic attacks. Calmed her down + convinced her to speak to GP about it #pharmacist @IPSForg.
• @alfonzumab: Made a gummy for a child that couldn’t swallow a pill. Chocolate-marshmallow seems to be the flavor of choice! #pharmacist.
• @jenamarion: Brought a patient’s co-pay down from $179 to $3 yesterday by calling his physician and switching to a general alternative. #pharmacist.
"Every day, pharmacists in different practice settings not only fill prescriptions — they counsel and educate patients, consult with physicians, monitor patient histories, lower health care costs, provide vaccinations and help individuals live healthier lifestyles," the participating organizations said when they announced the tweet-a-thon
They called the tweet-a-thon a "day to honor the profound impact that pharmacists have on their patients’ everyday lives through an easy and accessible medium: Twitter. We encourage pharmacists and their patients all over the world to take a moment on Oct. 3 to share their positive stories."
The full list of documented participants and their Twitter handles are listed online. Besides NCPA, U.S. pharmacy groups participating include the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, American College of Apothecaries, American Pharmacists Association, American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, and Pharmacy HIT Collaborative, as well as more than two dozen state pharmacist associations.
