Retail pharmacy conference highlights benefits of MTM

Dr Brown's main address.

The conference featured renowned international guest speaker, Dr Lawrence M Brown, Associate Professor and Director at the UT Centre for Medication Therapy Management (MTM), Health Outcomes and Policy Research Division at the University of Tennessee, College of Pharmacy, as keynote speaker to address the delegates on the latest MTM trends in international pharmacy practice.

Interactive session in progress.

The MTM evaluation is designed to enhance patients' understanding of appropriate drug use, increase adherence to medication therapy, improve detection of adverse drug events, and result in increased collaboration and communication between pharmacist and other health care providers. Anyone who is taking more than one medicine or who suffers from a chronic condition should take advantage of this service.

The benefits of MTM to the consumer include:

• economic benefits due to fewer medications prescribed and needed;
  
• improved health as a direct result of an integrated health plan that is targeted at each specific health issue; and
  
• reduced risk of adverse reactions to drugs prescribed and potentially hospitalisation - in essence an overall improvement to health and wellbeing.

The benefits to the pharmacist include a further integration into the health team of patient, physician and pharmacist (as well as other specialists), improved relationships with all members of each patient's health team, and improvement in their patient's overall health.

Main exhibition hall.

This is in essence the core model for MTM but can also serve as a framework upon which to expand and include many other programmes such as health and wellness, disease management, osteoporosis and more.

MTM has been implemented globally in USA, UK, Australia, and other countries around the world with much success, and will soon be available in South Africa at Clicks pharmacies around the country. Clicks has already started trialing the system at a few of their pharmacies and will commence the full roll-out plan in 2009.