JULY,Edition # 29, 2001

Recently we've seen a lot of bad press relating to pharmacy, most of it inferring strongly that pharmacists are little more than retailers, with their professional responsibilities clouded by their chase for a dollar.
While those close to the profession know the real story we've had a hard time getting much media focus and the story remains fairly one-sided and in some cases bordering on farcical.
The example which made many cringe recently, was circulated on the Aus-pharm mailing list and exposed much frustration with our recent media examination. Apparently research has shown that piglets given massive doses of promethazine have an increased risk of SIDS. Not entirely suprising given similar statistical findings in humans, but what was the media line on the story?
Pharmacists could be selling Phenergan too easily to the mothers of young children.
As one Aus-pharm respondant pointed out, the story didn't mention doctors telling the same mothers to buy a bottle of Painstop when their child is teething. It didn't also state that most 'official' pharmacy literature suggests extreme caution when using these drugs in children under the age of 12 months.
It is a sad fact that much of what we see in newspapers these days seems designed to push one agenda or another, and the pharmacy side of most stories is being ignored or consists entirely of letters to the editor days after the event, when most attention has died down.
So what can we do to overcome a lack of positive media coverage?
Pharmacy needs to start advertising as a profession, and pushing the positive aspects of our profession that continually rate so highly in consumer surveys. The public's trust is placed in pharmacists, second only to nurses, and ahead of doctors in most polls.
So this should form the basis of our advertising campaign.
The professional services which we are finally to receive some reimbursement for should form the core of any professional marketing push.
If margins are going to continually be pressured in the dispensary then it seems only natural to advertise the professional sevices where the potential for higher margins exists.
While doctors may seem reluctant to follow the DMMR model, making patients aware of its existence will force GPs to conisder it for their chronic care patients. An advertising push to remind the public of the relevance of their community pharmacy may also assist in garnering support ahead of the expected ownership push from the likes of Woolworths.
Few doubt the success of "Frank the Friendly Pharmacist" in explaining the last major changes to the PBS, so perhaps the Guild and Society need to bring him out of retirement.
In these times of anti-globalisation rallies and a general fear of multinationals, your independantly owned local pharmacy seems almost an anachronism, but its appeal will remain while ever we can continue to show our relevance.
The cost of an advertising blitz would be high, but the lasting impressions it could leave might more than justify the investment.
Admittedly not all pharmacies would benefit initially from a campaign targeted at our professional services as not all pharmacies yet employ an accredited consultant pharmacist. But as the spread of consultant pharmacy increases, few pharmacies will be unable to offer this service within the life of the current Agreement.
It's time to shout it from the rooftops. "Pharmacists, your trusted medication experts!"
Ends
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