My last week in Taiwan came and went quickly. My schedule at the hospital this week included a variety of activities such as rounding with the ID team, evaluation of a new drug for addition into the formulary, and observation at the outpatient pharmacy (which is incredibly fast-paced, serving >2000 patients between 8am-10pm).
Taiwan has a national health insurance scheme and healthcare services are affordable and accessible to all its citizens. At Shuang Ho Hospital, patients pay a nominal registration fee of NT$150 (about US$5) for each physician appointment. There is no out-of-pocket cost for medications unless the patient is taking drugs that are not covered by the national health insurance. Private clinics are not common in Taiwan as most patients prefer going to larger hospitals.
Medications are dispensed in “prescription bags” which are about the size of a sheet of paper. These are labeled with standard information such as drug name/dose, patient’s name, DOB, prescriber’s name, pharmacy address and contact number, etc. There is also additional information such as common adverse effects, storage information, and tablet description. Labels would indicate the correct tablet shape, color, imprint, and scoring. Thus, patients are able to verify whether they received the correct medication. I think this is an excellent way of empowering patients and improving patient safety.
My SEP experience has been a rewarding one, both professionally and culturally. With ~15 SEP students in Taiwan this year, not only do I learn from Taiwanese students and pharmacists, I have also learned a lot from other students from Canada, UK, Singapore, Poland, etc.
And what’s next? Taipei to Singapore, and Singapore to Ann Arbor. I’ll be on the plane for close to 30 hours over the next 3 days!!
