As a pharmacist, it's essential to maintain patient engagement year-round to ensure that your patients are taking their medications as prescribed and achieving the best possible outcomes. Patient engagement is a critical component of healthcare, requiring more than just filling prescriptions. It involves building relationships with patients, understanding their needs and concerns, and providing them with the support they need to manage their conditions.
We'd like to introduce you to a fictional pharmacy called Sunnyvale Pharmacy, owned by a pharmacist named Patience Enteric (Pat). Pat is an energetic and dynamic pharmacist serving the community for over 15 years. Her pharmacy is located in a small town where everyone knows each other, and she has built a reputation for providing personalized care to her patients.
At Sunnyvale Pharmacy, patient engagement is a top priority, and Pat and her team work tirelessly to maintain it throughout the year. Here are some of the things they do to keep their patients engaged and satisfied:
Create a Welcoming Environment
When patients walk into Sunnyvale Pharmacy, they are greeted with a warm smile and a friendly hello from the staff. The pharmacy is bright and cheerful, with comfortable seating areas where patients can wait for their prescriptions. The staff is always available to answer questions and provide support, creating a welcoming environment that puts patients at ease.
Build Relationships with Patients
Pat and her team take the time to get to know their patients and understand their needs and concerns. They listen to their stories, offer advice, and provide emotional support when needed. They go above and beyond to make their patients feel valued and appreciated. While Pat and her team try to remember to engage with all their patients on a personal level, they also know that they need to rely on patient engagement software to help them identify when patients need extra care or a clinical intervention may be available. This enhanced engagement with their patients results in a deeper relationship that increases return business and strengthens the patient experience.
Provide Education and Resources
At Sunnyvale Pharmacy, patient education is a top priority. Pat and her team provide educational resources on various health topics, such as brochures and pamphlets. They also offer one-on-one counseling sessions where patients can learn about their medications and how to manage their conditions effectively. Sunnyvale Pharmacy also relies heavily on adherence programs to send out patient communications to remind them of their medication needs. In turn, patients at Sunnyvale Pharmacy are more likely to pick up their medications over pharmacies that do not utilize adherence programs as a resource for their patients. Pat calls this " A win-win solution."
Offer Convenient Services
To make it easier for patients to manage their medications, Sunnyvale Pharmacy offers a range of convenient services, such as home delivery, automatic refill reminders, and online prescription refills. These services help patients stay on top of their medications and avoid missed doses, and help combat the 500 billion dollar cost of non-optimized medication therapy in the US.
Host Community Events
To maintain patient engagement year-round, Sunnyvale Pharmacy hosts community events such as health fairs, flu clinics, and medication reviews. These events give patients the opportunity to interact with the staff and other patients, learn about new health topics, and get free health screenings.
By following these steps, Pat and her team at Sunnyvale Pharmacy have built a strong relationship with their patients, creating a loyal customer base that trusts and relies on their expertise. Patient engagement is an ongoing process that requires continuous effort and commitment from the pharmacy staff. But the benefits are significant, with improved health outcomes, better patient satisfaction, and increased loyalty and revenue for the pharmacy.
Maintaining patient engagement year-round is essential for any pharmacy that wants to provide exceptional patient care. Pharmacies can keep their patients engaged and satisfied by creating a welcoming environment, building relationships with patients, providing education and resources, offering convenient services, and hosting community events. So, let's take a cue from Pat and her team at Sunnyvale Pharmacy and make patient engagement a top priority in our pharmacies.
