Throughout the time I spent in a pharmacy school, the concept of patient-centered care was reinforced constantly. As healthcare is moving towards patient-centered care, healthcare providers are empowering patients to make healthcare decisions for themselves. The third Code of Ethics for Pharmacists states, “A pharmacist respects the autonomy and dignity of each patient”. This statement explains, a pharmacist should recognize individual self-worth and encourage patients to participate in making health decisions. In this semester’s Ambulatory Care IPPE, I am in a perfect setting to see the third Code of Ethics for Pharmacists. Jefferson Home Infusion Service is a leading provider of home infusion therapy in Philadelphia area, providing excellent …show more content…
It was interesting to see my preceptor contacting various healthcare providers in the hospital to gather information and formulate therapy for his patients. Home infusion advocates go around the hospital to ask patients, who are about to be discharged, if they want to try home infusion. If a patient agrees to it, a nurse would come to set up a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line for the patient so they can receive the infusion treatment intravenously. It was very interesting to actually see the PICC line inserted in a patient. I did not expect the procedure to be that simple, and did not think that tube would slide into a vein that easily. Also, when I was rounding with a dietician, I was able to meet a patient who was battling infections due to cholecystectomy and urostomy. The patient, who was a farmer, could not wait to go back to her house and be with her husband and do what she loves, farming. Although wearing infusion bags during treatment may be cumbersome, home infusion services allow patients to be out of the bed and give them freedom to be mobile and carry on their daily lives. Giving freedom for patients to choose where they want to be treated can impact the progression of patients’ conditions, since patients will be less stressed in their home than hospitals. I am glad that I am doing my Ambulatory Care IPPE at Jefferson Home Infusion because I learned whole new field in pharmacy and how infusion pharmacists can impact patients’ lives in patient-centered