Judy,
I think there are several steps that you could use that would be helpful
in your situation. My research team and I have worked with several
independent pharmacies to implement pharmaceutical care. (1) Based on
this experience and my talking with other practice-based researchers,
one of the best thing you could begin to consider is how to obtain 4
hours per week where you do patient care - either in the pharmacy or in
patients' homes...that is, get out of the dispensary for some time
period (maybe this is the ultimate long-term goal to achieve in 3-5
years or so!), (2) in the meantime, building relationships with one or
two key physicians in your area by a quick lunch visit, follow-up info
about new services, etc., would be good, (3) initiating new programs
with specific objectives, procedures and measurable outcomes with
Eckerd's management...measurable outcomes such as # new customers, OTC
sales or something that backs up your new service in a meaningful way to
Eckerd's, e.g, maybe beginning with an OTC pharmacist for 2-4 hours two
days per week and monitoring sales and traffic...(not sure if that
concept is used in Eckerd's), diabetes education day, HRT education day,
etc. (4) growing and expanding your programs, (5) determining what your
patients' want and assessing their reaction to your new programs..., (6)
asking patients to pay for these cognitive services!
All those steps above are not consecutive, but require a multi-tasking
approach so that you are working on all of them at the same time. I do
think that a programatic approach may be the best sell to chain
management. Particularly, if you can include measureable outcomes in
your programs that show benefit to the company!
Just a quick bit of info - building relationships with management,
patients and physicians are KEY! Hope this is practical enough!
Karen Farris
University of Alberta
Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
-----Original Message-----
From: Judy Andrews [mailto:Rph0290@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, April 02, 1999 1:15 AM
To: PharmCare
Subject: methods and ideas for developing pharmaceutical care
I am trying to develope a pharmaceutical care program and am interested
in
what others have accomplished and the methods they have used. I need
support and ideas---not getting much support from management.
--------------------------------------------
Judy Andrews
Rph0290@aol.com
Eckerd Drug
--------------------------------------------
|