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Best of Patient Focused Efforts 

Patient Communication

Best Practice: Create and Share a Newsletter

  • Inform your patients of any new programs you've started due to COVID-19 and changes that have occurred in your pharmacy.

  • Also, share testimonials that you collect

  • Like DePietro's Pharmacy, consider sharing with legislators to inform them of the services you are providing for your patients.

Best Practice:  Translate COVID-19 informational materials into primary languages for your non-English speaking patients

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  • Print bag stuffers with translated COVID-19 do’s and don’t and attach with prescriptions

  • Post translated COVID-19 materials on your website

  • Print a list of your most vulnerable patients and make an effort to call a couple each day and see how they are doing

Best Practice:  Community pharmacists being fundamental in educating patients about advance directives and end-of-life planning during COVID-19

  • Attached are the English and Spanish versions of a preparation document that could be printed out and placed in document holders on pharmacy counters.  This document could also be shared electronically.

  • A Conversation Starter Kit is included in the documents that many pharmacists may find helpful for discussions with their patients (and with their own families).

  • Stevie Veach and James Ray with the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy shared about the importance of advance directive and end-of-life planning during COVID-19 is not only to honor the wishes of the individual and to avoid possibly unwanted treatments or procedures, but also for the health care workers that may be exposed to the virus while caring for the patient when high risk procedures, such as suctioning, ventilation, or CPR are performed in absence of an advanced  directive. These care plans could also reduce the emotional pressure first responders and health care providers are placed under when having to make health care decisions for people in the absence of the family being readily available due to distancing restrictions.

Best Practice: Visible Poster Display Outside Pharmacy when Doors Locked

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  • A regular 8x10 page to inform patients you are open may be easily overlooked, posters have helped much more.

  • Parking lot delivery may be a more patient-friendly term vs. curbside delivery

  • Assign designated parking spots 

Best Practice: Update your Phone Recording (IVR) with COVID-19 Messaging

  • Update the recording on your phone systems to inform patients of your new procedures

Best Practice: Utilize Social Media

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  • Ask patients to like your Facebook Page to receive updates

  • Utilize your Website and/or Facebook page to regularly update patient

  • Inform on how to best communicate with the pharmacy, how to pick-up meds, how the delivery process has changed, what OTC products that you have available, etc.

Best Practice: Patient Flyer

  • Help alleviate patient worries about continuing to obtain medications, inform of enhanced services that assist (i.e., med sync), share your pharmacy's plan for patients receiving medications

  • List available OTC products and keep updated

  • Provide to patients upon medication pick-up/delivery

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