On Friday morning we were in the high-tech genetic laboratories at the Children's Hospital of Cincinnati. It was a very short fly-past across different types of laboratories, in which they analyze blood, especially chromosomes. We got information about very new methods like SNP Beadarray technology in the chromosome genetic analysis lab or in the oncology section, and about some typical prenatal analysis, like Amnio Synthesis, used to detect different chromosome defects, like Trisomy 21, Turner's syndrome etc.
The realization of the details was a little bit difficult not because of the language, but because of the content; meanwhile my biology lessons in the school are past over 30 years, and I never was busy with biological issues since that time. The explanation of the woman who told something about genetic counseling was interesting, but only for general education, not for business relations.
After this visit we completed the visit at Wallgreen's, but this seemed a little bit like "occupational therapy". I do not understand the sense of the question to compare a high-tech genetic laboratory with the offers in a pharmaceutical shop, like comparing apples and oranges. Neither the offers nor the prices are comparable. These are completely different things. A pharmaceutical shop is a self service for everyday illnesses, like headache or other pains. A genetic lab is combined with a hospital and analyzes things for many thousands of dollars on demand of doctors. The payment here, like in Germany too, how they explained, depends on the insurance that the people have or they have to pay it by themselves when the diagnosis is not so dramatic, but they want to have a special check-up or an analysis.
At the Walgreen's we had to investigate some facts: there are available over 100 pain relievers based on three different substances, over 500 "Cold and Flu" medicines, also contraceptives, nicotine patches, and razor blades. If you do not know what to take, please ask your doctor or the friendly pharmacist. The Wallgreen's brand pharmaceuticals are only different from the other in the inactive ingredients. The brands are offered all next to each other with good visible price and product information. In Germany you could find the low price products always in the lower shelves below the normal visual field of people.
What else you can find in Walgreen's shop? Nearly everything, for example: drinks (cola, juice, milk), snacks, shampoo, bath foaming, hair colour, creme, cosmetics, skin care, air filters, kitchen appliances (toasters, pancake makers, steam creamers, coffee makers), gardening tools, tool kits, glue, tape, nails, locks, electrical materials (adapters, extension cords, light bulbs), automotive accessories (oil for cars, cleaning equipment), socks, toys, masks, sweets, school blocks, pencils, pens, pet meals, washing powders, diapers, wipes, baby food, CDs, DVDs etc.
Concerning the free offering and availability of drugs in the drugstores, I don't know if the rate of drug dependence in the USA is higher than in other countries, like Germany, where a lot of these pharmaceuticals (for example Ibuprophen or antibiotics) are not freely available. Perhabs the system to get the medicine is only less complicated, and cheaper if you know what you need. I think this system has a lot of advantages, too. You could save time to go to the doctor only for a prescription. Of course, every system has to be used with ethical responsibility of each participant. I, personally, want to have the decision about the treatment for an illness, and talk with the doctor about the methods and ways of treatment he thinks about. In Germany, often, people also ask other (second and third) doctors for their opinion, for example, to decide on a surgery, but they of course have to pay for these other consultations too.
That's all for today, the library closes soon.
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ReplyDeleteBoth visits today were meant to give you an insight into two areas of the health care system in America. Because health care is very much at the forefront of American politics and discussion, we wanted you to have a first hand experience looking at two very different places that offer medical care, to see what each has to offer, and how people may use their services. Your description of Walgreens is very good and thorough. Were you surprised there were so many other goods for sale besides medecine?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jody: your description of Walgreen's was good, but it might have been more instructive if you had gone with us, as we were able to discuss some of the interesting details as we walked around the store. I agree that doing this visit with just the worksheet would have made it more challenging to see the purpose. However, as you pointed out, German pharmacies are quite different from American pharmacies. In our discussion with the nurse who came to be our special speaker that afternoon, we discussed the challenges of self-diagnoses. Since medical care is so expensive, many people do not go to see doctors, and thus they self-medicate by going to the internet to see what is wrong, and then deciding at the pharmacy what they need. When we use the phrase "drug-dependency" in America, we use it in the sense of illegal drugs, not legal drugs. Thus your observation about drug dependency is, indeed, an "apples and organes" topic.
ReplyDeleteI do not understand your annotation with "apples and oranges". In Germany we distinguish dependency from illegal drugs and dependency from legal drugs. We have two different words: "drugs - Drogen" are the illegal and ""medicine - Medikamente" are the legal drugs. Dependency from legal drugs is a big problem, because it is not obviously. We have a lot of special therapeutic hospitals for this diagnosis. I know this, because I worked in this field.
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