Confidence and Competence with Medicines with Andrea Tarr

Have you been experiencing a lack of confidence when making decisions about medicines because of not having all the relevant information you need in the practice? Do you feel the continuously growing population of free resources everywhere, thus resulting in confusion about what’s of help and what isn’t?
 
Medicines are an integral part of everyone’s day in veterinary practice. It’s of great importance that we become not only confident, but also competent in handling, prescribing, and dispensing it as we communicate with clients.  
 
With that, be in for a treat today as we learn about efficient medicines management that will save time and money, is focused on client welfare and safety, and will help protect the environment that we’re all living in!
 
Andrea Tarr is a registered pharmacist and medicines information specialist, and is the Founder and Director of Veterinary Prescriber, an online independent reference and learning resource on veterinary medicines for veterinary professionals.
 
In this episode, Andrea educates us about the importance of independent, evidence-based, and practical information on all aspects of veterinary medicines as she discusses the consequences of having no access to such in the practice.
 
 
What you will learn from this episode:

• How a large number of scattered resources in the practice lead to a lack of confidence in prescribing medicines in vet med;
• Why you shouldn’t rely on single resources, pharmaceutical company information, and forums when looking for information about medicines; and
• The importance of independent, evidence-based, and practical information on all aspects of veterinary medicines

 
“There’s a lot of free information out there. A lot of people produce free information. But I think people should ask themselves if the information is free, who is paying for it and why? Because information is often used in order to sell something else. And it takes a lot of time and effort to produce high-quality information.” – Andrea Tarr
 
Topics Covered:
 
01:37 – Andrea describes her ideal client: Anyone who wants to use medicines in the best interest of their patients, clients, and the environment / all vets in vet practices
 
02:20 – Problem she solves for her clients: Bringing together and making sense of all the scattered information about veterinary medicine everywhere.
 
07:02 – The typical symptoms/pain points: Not knowing where to look for information on medicines, and lack of confidence in decision-making and communication with clients
 
08:28 – The mistakes: Relying on single resources which might not be of help, relying on pharmaceutical company information, and asking people in forums
 
10:38 – Andrea’s Valuable Free Action: “Find out the quantity and value of medicines that are thrown away, because that will be a really good starting point for making changes and finding out where you can make savings.”
 
11:38 – Andrea’s Valuable Free Resource: Visit Veterinary Prescriber’s website and blog page to be updated about medicine news
 
13:04 – Q: Why is it important to be independent? A: “We’re funded by subscription, by the people who want to use the information. We don’t take any sponsorship or advertising. What that means is we can produce information that’s completely objective, trustworthy, and reliable.”
 
 
Key Takeaways:
 
“Keeping up to date on medicines is a professional necessity for people working in veterinary practice.” – Andrea Tarr
 
“Companies want to point out the benefits of their products, obviously, and not mention the disadvantages. If you’re trying to compare products by asking all the different companies, you’re gonna end up confused because they will all tell you that theirs is the best.” – Andrea Tarr
 
“Forums can be used for all kinds of things, but it's an inherently unreliable thing to do if you’re looking for information about medicines.” – Andrea Tarr
 
“Find out the quantity and value of medicines that are thrown away, because that will be a really good starting point for making changes and finding out where you can make savings.” – Andrea Tarr
 
 
People / Resources Mentioned:

Veterinary Prescriber’s website: http://www.veterinaryprescriber.org/
Veterinary Prescriber’s blog page: https://www.veterinaryprescriber.org/blogs
 
 
Ways to Connect with Andrea Tarr:
 
Email: andreatarr@veterinaryprescriber.org 
Website: http://www.veterinaryprescriber.org/