How do you counsel patients at your pharmacy?
Do you lean over the counter and speak in whispers? Do you take them to the side, but still remain in public?
And, do you administer vaccinations out in the open?
Where you consult and care for patients matters.
Pharmacists’ roles expand every year. You can now offer a variety of clinical services. From immunizations to blood glucose testing. And because of this, you play a big part in patients’ overall care.
To accommodate your expanding role, you need to expand your space.
Every independent community pharmacy needs a private consultation room. A space where pharmacists can counsel patients one-on-one.
In private consultation rooms you can:
- Discuss treatment plans
- Provide medication consultations
- Discuss medication cost concerns
- Administer vaccinations
- Perform health screenings
- Discuss side effects
- Review medical history
- Answer sensitive questions
Provide a private consultation room at your pharmacy and you’ll get happier patients and more profits.
3 Reasons a Private Pharmacy Consultation Room Benefits Patients
A private pharmacy consultation room improves patients’ comfort, their outcomes and their satisfaction.
1. It increases patient privacy
As your services grow, the need for patient privacy grows too.
A recent study found that consumers form trusting relationships with community pharmacy staff if they perceive pharmacies as safe health spaces.
And, when patients don’t have privacy, they’re less likely to ask important health questions.
Give patients a private space to discuss sensitive questions, such as cost concerns or medical conditions they may find embarrassing.
After all, would you want to discuss your upset stomach with a line of people behind you?
2. It personalizes care
Personal service separates independent pharmacies from chain pharmacies.
Through consultation, you build personal relationships with patients that foster loyalty and trust.
And, you can more easily provide personalized solutions to meet each patient’s health concerns.
Because when you dedicate time to meet a patient face-to-face, you get to know the patient’s particular health concerns and needs.
3. It improves patient outcomes
During consultations, pharmacists can make personalized recommendations to best fit each patient’s needs.
And studies have shown that personalized care results in better patient outcomes.
For example, one study found that personal consultation with a community pharmacist contributed to better management of Type 2 diabetes, including reduced comorbidities, improved adherence and better patient satisfaction.
4 Reasons a Private Pharmacy Consultation Room is Good for Business
Taking care of patients is your priority.
But to do that, you need to run a successful business. And a private consultation room can help you do that.
1. It establishes your expertise
Patients don’t always know the full range of expertise their pharmacist offers.
If you get patients in for a private consultation session, like a brown bag medication review, you can show them how much more pharmacists offer besides filling prescriptions.
And when patients respect you as health experts, they’ll have more trust in the business.
That trust builds patient loyalty and satisfaction.
And, it makes them more likely to refer your pharmacy to their friends and family.
2. It increases patient participation in services
Patients won’t want to request health screenings or clinical services if they’re concerned about a lack of privacy.
A private room will put patients at ease.
Also, a consultation room can increase the number of services a patient purchases. When you build relationships with patients, gain their trust and get to know their needs, you can recommend additional services that they otherwise wouldn’t have considered.
3. It boosts front-end purchases
A private consultation room gives you better opportunity to make product recommendations to patients.
When you meet with them and learn their needs, you can make over-the-counter (OTC) recommendations that genuinely help them, such as vitamin supplements to counteract nutrient-depleting drugs.
4. It improves your customer service
Patients feel cared for when you take time to meet with them.
You make them the priority when you meet with them one-on-one.
And that level of customer service will differentiate your pharmacy from other options. And keep patients coming back.
Now your patients won’t have to whisper to ask you a question about an embarrassing health condition or a product they need.
