PharmaCHIC: Managing Brain Health at Community Pharmacies
Community pharmacies increasingly offer healthcare services to patients, especially in underserved regions. This provides them an opportunity to take part in various medical initiatives, including those related to brain health. PharmaCHIC, a partnership between CPESN Community Health and the National Community Pharmacy Association (NCPA) Innovation Center, recently offered one example.
An engaged community pharmacist or community health worker (CHW) asking the right questions ultimately enhances the practice of healthcare. This simple but often overlooked duty lies at the heart of that recent PharmaCHIC project on brain health. This undertaking leveraged community pharmacies (and their pharmacists and CHWs) to conduct question-based migraine screenings. Let’s take a closer look!
Breaking Through the Major Barriers to Headache Care
A 2023 worldwide study found that 2.9 billion people currently suffer from some form of headache disorder. Despite recent advancements in treatment options for headaches and migraines, this number has remained relatively unchanged. Understanding the reasons behind this stagnation is one of the goals of the PharmaCHIC study. After all, improved treatment options should lead to lower numbers of headache disorders.
Community pharmacies make managing brain health easier.
The process of optimizing headache care faces three major barriers hampering this effort. Here’s a quick look at all three:
· Finding a medical provider providing consultations on headaches
· Receiving an accurate diagnosis
· Undergoing an evidence-based headache treatment regimen
When considering the vast healthcare deserts in the country, these barriers come as no surprise. Many of those suffering from headaches simply lack access to primary care physicians and associated medical resources. This healthcare gap ultimately requires community pharmacies and their pharmacists and CHWs to step into the breach.
Community Pharmacies making a Positive Impact on Migraines
Some patients navigating the modern healthcare system face a host of challenges in receiving medical services. Non-medical drivers of health also play a role. These include a lack of transportation, food insecurity, and potentially, no insurance.
A community pharmacy employing skilled and empathic PCHWs helps their patients better manage these myriad issues. The partnership between CPESN CH and the NCPA Innovation Center provided patients with access to board-certified neurologists and headache specialists. The project’s ID Migraine screening questionnaire also identified patients with more serious headache issues. Ultimately, this project partnership made a positive impact on those underserved Americans needing these critical services.
The migraine screening questionnaire community pharmacies used in this initiative successfully identified patients suffering from migraines. Additionally, their pharmacists optimized the current medications for these patients, ensuring a safe and efficacious mix.
PCHWs and community pharmacists capture data from these encounters to be stored in HL7/NCPDP-compliant systems. This approach facilitates the creation of pharmacist e-care plans, helping with data standardization, while also supporting continuity of care.
To learn more about this PharmaCHIC initiative, check out the full article in America’s Pharmacist magazine from the NCPA. The article is also available on the News page on our website or directly at the following link.
