No two patients are alike in your pharmacy. Some have an active role in their health and treatment, while others aren’t as engaged. The extent of engagement basically comes down to each individual patient’s mindset.
When patients are involved and adherent, they’re well informed. They’re also empowered with the information to make good decisions. And when you have higher patient engagement, outcomes improve and much more.
Here is a list of additional benefits from using effective patient-engagement techniques:
Prescription Refills
Providing more high-touch interactions through appointment-based medication synchronization (ABMS) made patients 2.5 times more likely to stay adherent to their medications, according to a study by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) in partnership with the Arkansas Pharmacists Association.
Patients who participate in medication synchronization programs have improved adherence and prescription refill rates. Refilling their prescriptions regularly and on time will also improve their health outcomes for chronic disease states.
Less Waste
Stop spending money printing pamphlets and leaflets with detailed aftercare instructions, medications, and treatments. Patients ignore them. Unless you encourage the full use of them, no one will. Instead, include them in your consultation with your patient. They serve as a visual reminder of that patient-provider interaction.
Do Away With Preventable Readmissions (PPR)
Once you have established a provider-patient relationship, your patient will be able to comprehend and understand the information that could be important to the possible progression of their disease or medication regimen. Therefore, patients become more invested in their health, and disease morbidity and hospitalizations are reduced significantly.
Bump Up Patient Satisfaction and Retention
When you actively engage with your patients, you make them feel respected, valued, and heard. They’ll remain loyal to you as their pharmacist for years to come. And remember: patients may not always remember what you say, but they always remember how you make them feel.
Better Long-Term Health Outcomes
Engaging with your patients will lead them to staying healthy. In other words, when patients take charge of their health and aren’t afraid to approach health providers for advice, they will:
- Seek treatment much sooner.
- Address their signs and symptoms earlier.
- Take charge before their health issues progress any further.
When your patients are vetted in their health and lifestyle, you’ll be amazed at how adherent they’ll become.
A Member-Owned Company Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy-side of their business. Founded and run by pharmacists, PBA Health serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, wholesaler contract negotiations, proprietary purchasing tools, and more.
An HDA member, PBA Health operates its own NABP-accredited warehouse with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products — offering the lowest prices in the secondary market.
