Educating Pharmacists on Ophthalmic- and Otic-Drop Administration Techniques Using Internet-Based Video Clips

Abstract

In 2003, 3.22 billion prescriptions were dispensed in U.S. community pharmacies, including more than 39 million prescriptions dispensed for 19 different ophthalmic and otic drops.1 Patients must use ophthalmic and otic medications correctly to achieve optimal outcomes. One factor in ensuring proper use is provison of patient counseling. Pharmacists need to know how to administer drops correctly so that they can teach these skills to their patients. We developed Internet-based multimedia video clips to teach ophthalmic and otic drop administration techniques. These video clips have been shown to be useful in teaching student pharmacists the correct techniques.2 In doing so, our focus was to demonstrate how an Internet-based multimedia video clip could efficiently augment the knowledge base of pharmacists, providing an opportunity to improve their ability to counsel patients on the administration of ophthalmic and otic products. The 3.22 billion prescriptions dispensed in 2003 represents a significant increase from the 2.8 billion prescriptions dispensed 1999, and a 47% projected increase to 4.5 billion prescriptions is expected by 2010.3,4 In 2003, an estimated 132,289 community pharmacists were in practice (24,341 prescriptions per pharmacist), and the number of community pharmacists is expected to rise only 9.2% to 144,508 by 2010.4 In view of the current pharmacist shortage and the projected increase in prescription volume in the coming years, pharmacists face increased time constraints for patient counseling over what they currently experience. Efficient patient counseling will become even more important than it is now. Objectives