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'HDL-C' is Good for Pharmacy Profession
By Lam Chee Kiang, 4th year Pharmacy student
Dr. Joyce Lee is my pharmacy professor who is also a practicing clinical pharmacist specializing in chronic diseases. She is the founder of HDL-C. Yes, HDL-C. But, it is not the High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol or the ‘good cholesterol’ that she taught us in her Dyslipidemia lecture. HDL-C stands for Hypertension, Diabetes and Lipids Clinic, and it is the first pharmacist-managed multi-chronic disease clinic in Singapore. According to Dr. Lee, she started HDL-C because she believes that pharmacists can play a great role in contributing to the care of those patients with chronic diseases as they are often dependent on medications for the control of their conditions. Dr. Lee said that she looks forward to us, her students when we become pharmacists, to apply our knowledge and skills effectively to help those who are inflicted with the most common chronic diseases in this country.
Currently, Dr Joyce Lee is conducting a series of six workshops to train the practicing pharmacists who are interested in starting a pharmacist-managed DM clinic and managing the drug therapy of patients with DM and common co-morbidities such as hypertension and dyslipidemia. The response has been great as 90 pharmacists from both the hospital and community settings attended the 3rd workshop on 29 October 2009; the attendance increased from 50 and 70 at the first and second workshops, respectively. It is encouraging to note that so many pharmacists are motivated to be trained after a full day’s work.
NUS – NHG Pharmacy Present: Diabetes Workshops for Practicing Pharmacists
Speaker: Joyce Lee, Pharm.D., BCPS |
August 2009 |
Workshop 1: Overview of Pharmacist-managed HDL-C in Singapore |
September 2009 |
Workshop 2: DM Management with a focus on Oral Antidiabetic Agents |
October 2009 |
Workshop 3: DM Management with a focus on Insulin |
November 2009 |
Workshop 4: Hypertension Management |
December 2009 |
Workshop 5: Dyslipidemia Management |
January 2010 |
Workshop 6: DM Care – Integrating Knowledge and Skills (Summary) |
I was one of the students who spent my 2nd year vacation attachment at Dr. Lee’s HDL-C. I was impressed by the range and level of clinical activities carried out by the pharmacists who are not just the traditional pill dispensers. In addition to counseling the patients on their disease conditions and medication use, pharmacists also titrate the medications, interpret and order laboratory tests as well as perform physical examinations to check for signs of disease progression and patient's ability to tolerate the effects of the medications at the doses taken. The pharmacists worked as members of the collaborative healthcare team.
The role of pharmacists in Singapore is changing. Now, as a final year pharmacy student, I note that NUS Pharmacy Department has revamped our curriculum to prepare us for the real world. Many of my classmates and I enjoy learning from our professors who are expert clinical pharmacists. They share their experiences with the use of a particular medication on different patients and the most current evidence-based clinical guidelines available in the world. I have also learned soft skills through role-play sessions using the “SOAP” (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) approach for developing a customized care plan for each patient. Their teaching styles are effective and fun, and I was able to apply what was taught in the classroom setting to the clinical setting. When I worked on the project, “Perception of Insulin among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus”, with Dr. Lee and her physician and pharmacist colleagues at Bukit Batok Polyclinic, I was able to talk to patients on their apprehensiveness towards insulin injections while understanding the course of disease that led to the necessity for the use of insulin.
The pharmacy profession continues to evolve. With the introduction of clinical services such as HDL-C, I am excited about my training to become a pharmacist and the evolving role of pharmacists as we contribute to the care of the sick in Singapore.
The 3rd Diabetes Workshop for Practicing Pharmacists
Practicing pharmacists from hospitals and community
Diabetes management with a focus on insulin: Translating knowledge into action
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