HIV/AIDS Treatment - Pharmacists Can Make a Difference

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Pharmacists can make a difference in the management and treatment of HIV/AIDS. However, many pharmacists find themselves uncomfortable with their level of knowledge in the area of HIV either because they did not receive any HIV training in their formal education or simply because of the rapid on-going advancements in this therapeutic area. This program will educate pharmacists on HIV treatment principles, provide an update on pharmacotherapy, and the challenges associated with HIV treatment so they can more comfortably respond to HIV patients and providers in their role as a pharmacist.
Pharmacists Educational Objectives:

* Describe the primary goals of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and the rationale for prescribing combination therapy.
* Provide an update on antiretroviral therapy (ARV) for HIV to include their mechanisms of action, efficacy, dosing, safety, and tolerablilty profiles
* Recognize possible drug interactions between different antiretrovirals and interactions between antiretrovirals and other medications
* Describe the pharmacist's critical role in counseling and educating HIV patients on drug treatment strategies to improve the patient outcomes and medication adherence

Pharmacy Technicians Educational Objectives:

* Describe in general terms the goals of antiretroviral treatment (ARV)
* Identify medications commonly used to treat HIV/AIDS