Implementing a pharmacy patient education center.

Ambulatory care federal pharmacists may be readily used by beneficiaries to obtain verbal and written pharmaceutical and/or medical information because of their high visibility and accessibility. In addition to information provided for prescription medications, pharmacists may provide medication and disease information through a patient education center. A patient education center may contain written information in the form of pamphlets, booklets, or tear-off sheets, static displays such as posters, or interactive devices such as computers. The purpose of this study is to describe implementation of a patient education center consisting of written information and static displays at a Coast Guard pharmacy. The processes described in this study may be emulated by other health care professionals in a variety of settings.