Medical Professionals

Continuing Education for the Pharmacist

If you are a pharmacist who would like to learn more about the benefits and attributes of heme and non-heme iron, we recommend completing the Drug Store News pharmacist continuing education lesson:

"Heme or non-heme? An overview of iron supplements (Knowledge-based activity)"

Purpose: To improve the pharmacist’s ability to recommend appropriate iron supplements in the setting of iron deficiency and to enhance their ability to counsel patients taking iron supplements.

Upon completion of this program, the pharmacist should be able to:

• Identify risk factors and conditions that may lead to iron deficiency.
• Compare and contrast various iron supplements available to patients.
• Distinguish differences between heme and nonheme iron, and identify the significance related to iron supplements.
• Identify food and drug interactions related to iron supplements, and provide proper counseling to prevent such interactions.
• Educate patients on the proper administration of iron supplements, common side effects and strategies to avoid such side effects.