Cardiology Pharmacy
Dr. Kopacek:
Pharmacist, Faculty member& teacher, Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Acute care pharmacist
UW Hospital, Fort Healthcare, St. Mary’s, St. Luke’s (Largest Cardiac Center in Wisconsin)
Roles in Acute Care:
Pharmacists aren’t well represented in media so often have to promote themselves
Comprehensive patient history is critical to treating patients
Lots of time spent answering medication questions
Code Blue Team: Respond when patients are in cardiac arrest with emergency medications
Evaluates appropriateness of medication based on screenings and vitals; medication reconciliation
Medication discharge counseling
Make sure medications are being used safely and appropriately
Adding a pharmacist to a medical team improves patients outcomes, mortality, adverse drug affects, ICU length of stay
Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease is a disease of the heart and vascular system
Heart disease; arrhythmia, heart failure, multiple forms
Pharmacist Interventions
Blood pressure control
Diabetes (under the umbrella of cardiovascular disease)
Smoking Cessation
Lipid Management
Medication Adherence
Health Literacy
Healthcare costs
Cardiac Rehab
12-week outpatient program
Supervised exercising
Provide medication, consult with patients on medications & medication adherence
Dietician comes in, mental health counselor
1 on 1 appointments
Only a few pharmacists in the state work in Cardiac Rehab
SIMPLE Approach to Improve Adherence
Simply the regimen, Impart KNowledge, Modify Patient beliefs and human behavior, Provide communication and trust, Leave the bias, Evaluate adherence
Contact: karen.kopacek@wisc.edu
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