Your patients are eager to learn how to take better care of their health. Are you doing everything you can to help inform them?
One of the easiest ways for your pharmacy to establish credibility is to provide educational health materials, and an educational brochure is a great way to accomplish this.
Educational brochures have stood the test of time for a reason. They’re easy-to-read, convenient, and discreet. Patients can pick them up while they wait on their prescriptions or grab them to peruse at home later.
And, if you provide educational brochures on issues that correlate with the clinical services you offer, you can help patients improve their health and boost business at the same time.
Consider stocking these 10 educational brochures to spark interest in your pharmacy’s clinical services and front-end products.
1. Vaccinations
Educating your patients on the different vaccines your pharmacy offers and why they’re important will entice patients to take advantage of this high profit-margin service.
Consider stocking vaccine brochures by age group, such as infants and children, adolescents, and the elderly. Be sure to include other groups, too, such as those planning to travel.
Make sure your brochures include information about why these vaccines are important. For example, they should explain why it’s vital for teens to receive the Meningococcal vaccine, or the risks of not receiving the flu shot.
2. Women’s health
Provide educational brochures specifically about women’s health to target this segment of the population. Stock your brochure rack with information on self-breast exams, multi-vitamins for women, pre-natal care or managing menopause.
Use these brochures to start a discussion about your clinical services for expecting mothers, hormone therapy, or services for women who have had mastectomies.
Spreading awareness of the services you offer women will also entice mothers, who often make family health care decisions, to choose your pharmacy.
3. Heart health
Nearly 27 million adults had been diagnosed with heart disease in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s more than 11 percent of adults in the U.S., and a lot of potential patients for your pharmacy.
By providing educational material on heart-related diseases, your pharmacy can establish credibility as a heart-health resource that patients can trust.
Each heart failure patient who comes to your pharmacy can result in more than $6,000 per year in total sales, according to Creative Pharmacist, a clinical pharmacy solution company. Use educational brochures as a starting point to get patients interested in your heart-related services, such as educational classes for patients with heart conditions.
4. Weight-loss
To spark interest in your pharmacy’s weight-loss programs or health and wellness products, provide your patients with brochures about proper nutrition and exercise.
The brochures can also generate interest in nutritional supplements or healthy snacks, drinks and workout supplements in your front end.
5. Proper over-the-counter (OTC) use
Make it simple for your patients to learn which OTCs to use for their ailments with an easy-to-grab brochure. Be sure to stock brochures that include lists of OTC medications and health supplies that your patients should have in their household at all times.
With the right information, patients will feel more comfortable using OTC medications when they need them, and they’ll be more likely to purchase what they need at your pharmacy. As always, make sure a pharmacist is available to answer patients’ OTC questions.
6. Diabetes care
Educate your patients about what they can do to manage their diabetes better, and how your pharmacy can help with educational brochures specifically for patients with diabetes.
You can include resources for patients who have been managing their diabetes for many years, and for those who have just been diagnosed. Patients will appreciate a clear, simple explanation of commonly asked questions when they’re overwhelmed with so much new information.
Also, use these educational brochures as a starting point to let patients know about the services you offer, and the products you carry to help them manage their diabetes.
7. Prescription painkiller use
Provide educational brochures that include information and statistics about prescription drug abuse to build awareness about drug misuse, and to promote the responsible use of medications.
While this educational brochure may not directly influence sales, it’s a necessary resource to have for your patients. When your patients see your genuine care for the public health of your community, they’ll be proud to give your pharmacy their business.
8. Medication Therapy Management (MTM)
Use educational brochures that explain the importance of managing multiple medications properly to promote your pharmacy’s MTM services.
Besides helping patients with chronic conditions, increased patient participation in MTM can also help boost your pharmacy’s Star Ratings.
Let patients know how your counseling services can benefit their treatment plan, and enhance their quality of life.
9. Medication storage
This educational brochure should explain how to store medication safely.
Make sure the material warns of the ineffectiveness and dangers of taking expired medication, and why unused prescription medications—namely antibiotics—shouldn’t be kept for later use. Also, be sure to include instructions for how to safely dispose of unused prescriptions.
You can use this as an opportunity to teach patients how to keep medication stored properly away from children in the home, and make them aware of emergency procedures in case a child ingests a prescription or OTC medication.
This brochure will instill a greater sense of responsibility in your patients about how they manage their medicine cabinet at home, and remind them to restock their supply of OTCs while they’re at your store.
10. Sleep
Provide your patients with educational brochures about herbal remedies for sleeplessness, as well as diet, exercise and mindfulness techniques for getting a good night’s rest.
Ensure your brochure also explains the risks of misusing OTC sleep medications, and how to use them properly. You can potentially increase sales of OTC sleep-aids, melatonin, and teas or herbal sleep aids.
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 owned 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 secondary wholesaler 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.
