UNIVERSITY-BASED SPORTS PHARMACY PROGRAM

Ways for pharmacists to become involved in sports pharmacy are discuss ed, and a university-based sports pharmacy program is described. Sport s pharmacy encompasses treating athletic injuries, distributing drugs and sports-related supplies, counseling patients, and monitoring thera peutic outcomes, along with educating athletes, trainers, and others a bout drug use and abuse. Pharmacists can contribute their expertise by presenting information at schools, health clubs, and other exercise-r elated organizations. They can serve on drug-testing crews at collegia te athletic events. Pharmacists can also provide supplies and services to schools or athletic facilities; ideally, this could be a contractu al arrangement to provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care. A sports pharmacy program was implemented at the University of North Carolina a t Chapel Hill in 1980. Pharmacists provide drug therapy monitoring and patient education to all patients at the school; patients' level of a thletic activity is taken into consideration. Pharmacists also ensure proper use, storage, and distribution of drugs kept in clinics, traini ng rooms, and sports medicine travel bags, as well as identifying and providing drugs and supplies that might be needed at an off-campus eve nt. They provide inservice education to athletic trainers and physicia ns. The program has improved patient outcomes and helped to ensure ade quate drug supplies and minimum waste. There are numerous opportunitie s for practitioners to become involved in sports pharmacy. A universit y-based sports pharmacy program improved the care of student athletes and helped contain drug costs.