You talk to your patients about their health every day.
How they can eat better. Exercise more. Add in vitamins to their routine.
But if your role is to promote patient health, isn’t your health important, too?
Often overworked and wildly busy, pharmacy owners and pharmacists neglect their health even while they work hard to improve their patients’ health.
Neglecting your health is bad news not only for you but also for your business.
Here are the undeniable reasons why pharmacy owners and pharmacists need to live a healthy lifestyle.
Healthy living builds pharmacists’ credibility
Would you take financial advice from a bankrupt banker?
So, why would patients take advice from an unhealthy health practitioner?
If you want to maintain credibility as a health practitioner, you’ll need to show patients you walk the talk.
Patients will notice the dark circles under your eyes. They’ll see you at the local fast food restaurant. And seeing their health practitioners make unhealthy lifestyle choices can affect their trust in them.
Seeing practitioners make healthy choices encourages patients
One study found that healthy practitioners have healthier patients.
Patients are more likely to follow preventive health practices like getting a flu shot if their doctors do likewise. You may not be their doctor, but the same logic applies. Pharmacists, located within the community and more easily accessible to patients, have a primary place of influence over patients.
Other preventive measures, like healthful eating and exercise, may also transfer to patients.
Pharmacists’ advice is more likely to be effective when they’re living a healthy lifestyle. And, pharmacists who habitually practice a healthy lifestyle are more likely to talk about their healthy practices with their patients.
Healthy living boosts pharmacists’ confidence
Being healthy makes you feel better about yourself.
If you’re more confident in yourself, you’ll have better interactions with patients. And, they’ll feel more confident too.
And when patients feel confident, they’re more likely to stay adherent to their medication.
Pharmacists who live a healthy lifestyle provide better care
The standard rule on airplane flights during an emergency is to put your oxygen mask on first. Why? Because only then can you care for those around you.
The same principle applies to pharmacists.
The better you take care of yourself, the better you’ll be able to take care of patients.
For example, if you aren’t getting eight hours of sleep every night, you’re more likely to have trouble:
- Making decisions
- Solving problems
- Controlling your emotions and behavior
When you’re healthy, you’ll perform at your best, which is good for patients and for the business.
Keep yourself healthy to keep your patients healthy.
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