Bitter Truth #4: Dealing with people's lack of knowledge

There's a lot most Filipinos don't know about drugs. For example, they think drugs are just like food – they can take whatever they want whenever they feel like it for how long they want. They don't know that there are consequences.

Example scenario:

Patient: May azithromycin kayo?

Rph: Meron po Sir. Pwede po makita yung reseta?

Patient: Kailangan pa ba ng reseta yun? Para lang naman sa sakit ng lalamunan.

Rph: Opo Sir. Kailangan po kasi nating masigurado na nirekomenda ng doktor ang gamot para sa 'yo. (Attempts to assess the patient's condition by interrogation). Kailan po ba Sir nagsimula yung sakit ng lalamunan nyu?

Patient: Kaninang umaga.

Rph: -_____-+

Patient: Amoxicillin na lang, yung 500mg.

Rph: Kailangan pa rin po Sir ng reseta kasi antibiotic rin po yung Amoxicillin. Kailangan po ng rekomendayon ng doktor para safe tayo.

Patient: Yung 500mg lang naman e. Bakit sa ____ di naman kailangan ng reseta?

Rph: Baka po hindi nyu naman kailangan ng antibiotic since kanina lang naman po nagsimula yung nararamdaman nyu. Marerecommend ko po yung panggargle muna para sa kondisyon nyu. Maraming komplikasyon kasi ang antibiotic kung hindi tama ang pag inom.

Patient: Sige, sa iba na lang ako bibili.

What is wrong with the Patient?

Una, dahil kaya mung bigkasin ang Azithromycin, hindi ibig sabihin doktor ka na at kaya mu nang resetahan sarili mu. Okay lang na limitado lang ang kaalaman mu, pero yung pagmamarunong mo, pwede mung ikapahamak. Makinig na lang kayo sana at wag na kaming awayin. (ok, so hindi naman ako inaway, hehe)

Pangalawa,

E di dun kayo bumili!

I'm also at a loss of how some customers know so many drugs, but have no idea on its implications.

In the communty pharmacy practice, pharmacists deal with blind pride and stupidity of some people everyday. They also sometimes get mistreated. Ikaw pa ang mali at masama. Ayun nanaman, mumurahin ka pa ng nagwawalang customer dahil sa sarili nyang katangahan at dangal na walang katuturan.

And it's the pharmacists who pay for these people's stupidity.

Reality bites.