Question

Pharmacists have, in the past, had a marketing problem. While this has improved over time, they still have a long path ahead of them until they are effectively spreading the message about their skills and abilities to everyone who needs to know.

Reflect on your work over the past year. Identify a service that pharmacists are qualified to provide (ex: diabetes education). This truly can be anything within their scope of practice. (Recall: Under a collaborative practice agreement, their scope of practice is whatever the collaborating provider allows).

When you have identified this service, consider who needs to know that you are providing this service and how you will let them know. Answer the following questions regarding the service :

1) Explain the current situation from the point of view of all relevant stakeholders (patients, prescribers, pharmacy staff, etc.) What would you like the situation to look like for all the stakeholders when the service is fully implemented?

2) What strengths do you have that you would be able to use in implementing this service?

3) What are your weaknesses that will limit your ability to implement this service?

4) What are the major budget considerations for implementing this service? Specifically, a) what makes this profitable? b) what are the necessary inputs and resources needed to provide the service?  

5) Who is your target audience?

6) What do you intend to do to gain attention, interest, desire, and action to implement the campaign?

Answer 1

Diet counselling for adults at a higher risk for chronic diseases is a service that pharmacists are qualified to provide.

Information regarding the provision of this service shall be relayed to local hospitals, doctors who can prescribe your services, potential patients etc. The information can be relayed through social media sites, through notices in hospitals, advertisements in health magazines etc.

1) Explain the current situation from the point of view of all relevant stakeholders (patients, prescribers, pharmacy staff, etc.) What would you like the situation to look like for all the stakeholders when the service is fully implemented?

Currently, the diet counselling is not very organized. There are many patients who will benefit from getting their diet good. Most people are unaware of facts like indirect consumption of carbs and sugar are making them unhealthy. Visits to doctors are made only when people get sick. The doctors also will benefit from people have healthy life styles. It is difficult to treat unhealthy / risky patients than to treat otherwise healthy people. Counseling people will help with prescribers and pharmacists also since people will have a better knowledge on what to expect or look for while buying the meds.

Usually when a person gets sick, he visits the doctor and the doctor prescribes medicines and some health advice also will be given. I would like to place my service before a person gets sick. May be I can advice about the services rendered by me to all people who are 40 plus years old by making use of information from the insurance team or hospital registers. A basic health advice on how diet shall be planned will be established and thereby people’s basic health can be elevated. Obesity issues which are very common can be controlled as well. Doctors also can save time by concentrating on people with much bigger diseases if we can control life style diseases like this. Government also can benefit form having healthier citizens.

2) What strengths do you have that you would be able to use in implementing this service?

I believe that I am qualified to render this service having sound knowledge in pharmacy. I had been working for over 10 years currently and has amassed sufficient knowledge as well. I am passionate about health services, particularly food and diet related issues from my graduation days itself. So I believe I can implement this service efficiently.

3) What are your weaknesses that will limit your ability to implement this service?

I don’t have good entrepreneurial knowledge for operating this on a greater scale. I understand that this is a weakness from my side in implementing this service. I’m working on to build knowledge in that aspect and my wife is an entrepreneur as well. I believe, with her support, I can make it work.

4) What are the major budget considerations for implementing this service? Specifically, a) what makes this profitable? b) what are the necessary inputs and resources needed to provide the service?

The major budget considerations are rent of area for delivering the service from. Salaries for people like assistants for coordinating the patients. Power and water costs etc.

This is profitable as initial investment for this is low and hence breakeven can be achieved within a year.

The necessary inputs for rendering this service are: a facility for operating, power, water, reception and other file maintenance facilities, website, social marketing team etc.

5) Who is your target audience?

My target audience are people with chronic diseases as well as healthy adults who will benefit from my services. I am considering people in the age group of 30 to 100.

6) What do you intend to do to gain attention, interest, desire, and action to implement the campaign?

I’m considering making a pamphlet for delivering in local hospitals. Marketing through social media sites is also contemplated. The contents of all advertisements, information shared will address the benefits people will get from availing my services. Testimonials of people who had already taken our services will also be displayed in our pages.