JULY,Edition # 30, 2001

Last time I wrote about the need for some positive pharmacy coverage in the media, and how we really need to provide that ourselves in the form of advertising.
But how can you promote your professional services?
There can be no doubt that if Community Pharmacy is to survive it must promote its professional services to further distance itself from the retail perception.
The Domiciliary Medication Management Review (DMMR) programme is rolling out now, but there has been little or no mainstream media coverage, except the initial controversy, when the medical profession showed reluctance to support the idea.
We need to take the initiative now and start advertising this service.
This could be done in two ways.
Firstly, a major national campaign on television and in other media to tell everyone that pharmacists are now providing this valuable service.
This should be co-ordinated by official pharmacy, possibly with Federal Government support.
It could be along the lines of the campaign I outlined last time, pushing the line of "Pharmacists, your trusted medication experts" or similar.
If the Federal Government is serious about the committment it made in the current Third Agreement, it should be prepared to back the programme.
Secondly, each local pharmacy will have a vested interest in advertising this potentially lucrative service, once they have an accredited pharmacist.
Without a national campaign, it is less likely that a local campaign advertising medication review services could have a major impact, because of the lack of public understanding of the process.
An individual pharmacy may be able to recruit a lot of patients for the scheme, but only after detailed and possibly costly campaign, explaining the process to their patients.
A mailout to your local area could provide an interesting way of giving detailed information about the DMMR programme which wouldn't be possible in a short TV or radio spot.
However, the cost of printing brochures could limit many to a single page flyer, which may not convey all the information you want. The costs of advertising could mean that in any particular area, pharmacies may need to work together to advertise the service, for the benefit of all.
In addition to these public advertising campaigns, we need to advertise our services to the local GP's, so that we can recruit patients more easily.
Research continually shows that many doctors are sceptical of the benefits of medication reviews, and/or of the role of pharmacists in providing clinical services.
Only a positive experience with the DMMR programme will entice doctors to recommend more patients to your pharmacy.
This means that accredited pharmacists will need to be top notch, both in their clinical skills and in their communication skills.
The requirements of the Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacists (AACP) for accreditation already goes a long way towards achieving this standard.
Only with a coordinated approach to its promotion, will the DMMR process succeed in the way it has been envisioned.
Public awareness of the benefits of medication reviews will supply the demand, necessary to cement our professional services into the financial backbone of pharmacy, and allow us to take our place as the medication experts.
Ends
The newsletter archives are now fully searchable via the search engine on the left hand side of this page. If you would like to find similar articles to the above material, please enter the appropriate keyword(s). To retain context with multiple keywords or phrases, please enclose in inverted commas.

Previous Article

Next Article

The comments and views expressed in the above article are those of the author and no other. The author welcomes any comment and interaction that may result from this and future articles.

* If you have found value in this newsletter, please share it with a friend, or alternatively, encourage a colleague to subscribe at neilj@computachem.com.au .
* Don't forget to advise of any change in your e-mail address so that your subscription may be continued without interruption.
* Letters to the editor are encouraged, or if you have material you would like published, please forward to the editor.
* You are invited to visit the Computachem web site at http://www.computachem.com.au .
* Any interested persons who would like to receive this free newsletter on their desktop each fortnight, please send a single word e-mail "Subscribe" to neilj@computachem.com.au .
* Looking for an organised reference site for medical or other references? Why not try (and bookmark) the Computachem Interweb Directory , for an easily accessed range of medical and pharmacy links, plus a host of pharmacy relevant links.
The directory also contains a very fast search engine for Internet enquiries

Back to Article Index
Article Archive 2000
Article Archive 2001
Home