NCPA, AADE offer diabetes education program for pharmacists

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A program developed by the National Community Pharmacists Association and the American Association of Diabetes Educators seeks to educate pharmacists on how to help teach patients to better manage their diabetes.

The Diabetes Accreditation Standards-Practical Applications program will be offered four times this year, the first one being held at the Westin Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego Jan. 21 to 23, the groups said.

The DASPA program — which is divided into two parts, one online and one live — was developed last year to train pharmacists looking to establish a diabetes self-management education/training program and to accredit those programs via the Diabetes Education Accreditation Program. In the past, DSME/T services were limited to hospital settings, the groups noted.

“Diabetes affects 23.6 million Americans, with 57 million having prediabetes, so everything possible needs to be done to address this health crisis,” said Robert Greenwood, NCPA president and a pharmacy owner. “Pharmacists provide patients with diabetes prescription drugs, testing supplies, counseling and therapeutic shoes, but the missing component is teaching patients how to undergo the lifestyle changes that can make a difference. That is why we are offering four DASPA programs this year.”

More information about how you can take advantage of this opportunity now is available at NCPAnet.org/index.php/events/daspa, or by calling (800) 544-7447, ext. 2670.