November is National COPD Awareness Month and an opportunity for your pharmacy to build awareness for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
COPD affects 24 million people in the U.S., and more than half of them are unaware that they have the disease, according to the COPD Foundation.
Educate patients in your community about COPD during the month of November, and promote the COPD-related services, products and educational resources your pharmacy offers.
Here are some easy tips to build awareness about COPD during National COPD Awareness Month, and attract new and loyal patients, too.
1. Offer educational literature
Help your patients better understand COPD and its causes by handing out free literature with each prescription during November.
Although about 90 percent of individuals with COPD have smoked, it’s important to educate patients about other factors that could lead to COPD for non-smokers, including pollutants and genetic factors.
Health care professionals, including pharmacies, can order bulk printed educational materials through the COPD Foundation or download materials for free on the foundation’s website.
2. Host an event
Spread awareness about COPD and about the related services you offer, such as a smoking cessation program or COPD educational classes, through an event.
Host an open house one evening in your pharmacy dedicated to COPD. Hand out information and use striking visual aids to illustrate the seriousness of smoking. For example, print out a long list of chemicals found in cigarettes and e-cigarettes, or showcase a simulated smoker’s lung model.
Generate interest in the event by holding a giveaway or raffle.
3. Target youth to prevent smoking
The younger a person is when he begins smoking, the more likely he is to become addicted to nicotine, according to the American Cancer Society. And the majority of smokers began when they were teens.
During November, provide information for adolescents and young adults about the risks and dangers of smoking, and how they could negatively change a young person’s life. You could consider giving a talk at an elementary or middle school assembly, or invite a class to your pharmacy for an educational field trip about the dangers of smoking.
Even though many kids and teens know that smoking is bad for their health, reminders from your pharmacy are important to help them make healthy choices and to learn about tools to help them quit smoking if they’ve already started.
4. Help your patients quit smoking
If you don’t already, consider carrying over-the-counter (OTC) products to help patients quit smoking, such as nicotine patches, lozenges and gum. Also, talk to patients about prescription options to quit smoking that they can discuss with their doctor, such as nicotine inhalers, nasal spray and pills. They’ll appreciate you taking the time to explain the risks and side effects associated with each, and which products and prescriptions they can use in combination to help them quit smoking.
5. Begin a smoking cessation program
National COPD Awareness Month is a great time to consider adding a smoking cessation program to your current clinical services.
Patients will not only benefit from your role as the medication expert in their lives, but as a trusted and accessible source of support for smoking cessation, too.
You can use smoking cessation educational kits, such as those from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, or, use smoking cessation support programssuch as Freshstart by the American Cancer Society.
6. Promote on social media
Consider dedicating the month of November to sharing COPD information on your pharmacy’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
Provide links to helpful COPD resources, such as COPD International, which provides educational material, chat rooms and other support, or to this list of resources from the COPD Foundation.
You can also share valuable information such as controlled breathing exercises, ways for your patients to stay active while avoiding exacerbations, and the importance of quitting smoking to slow the progression of COPD.
7. Create a COPD support group
Based on the needs of your community, consider offering a COPD support group at your pharmacy. You’ll establish you pharmacy as a resource for this patient group, which will help increase loyalty, while also enhancing the quality of life for your patients with COPD.
You can use ready-made curriculum for COPD management, such as AirWays by Creative Pharmacist, a company that provides clinical pharmacy solutions designed to help pharmacies improve patient outcomes, or compile your own using educational resources from the COPD Foundation.
Recognize November as National COPD Awareness Month in your pharmacy to promote healthy living in your community.
