Well Essay Competition - Digital Healthcare
CONGRATULATIONS PRIYANKA PATEL
Congratulations to the competition winner, Priyanka!
You can read Priyanka’s reflection on the experience, and why Ollie Gower, Head of Product at Well pharmacy, chose Priyanka’s essay as the winner, at the end of this publication.
THE WINNING ESSAY - “WHAT PIECE OF COMMON TECHNOLOGY THAT IS IN USE TODAY, WOULD HAVE THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON PATIENT CARE IN COMMUNITY PHARMACY TOMORROW?”
Technological advancements have completely transformed the way we live, right down to the most basic tasks. The influence of technology has spread like wildfire and its utilisation in various fields, including the field of medicine and healthcare, has improved quality of life greatly. Some of the most common technologies in use today include mobile phones, computers, laptops, tablets, and smart watches. This essay will discuss one way in which common technology can be further used in order to enhance the experience and care of patients in community pharmacy.
In order to be able to use technology to enhance patient care, it is first important to recognise the problems faced in modern day community pharmacies. Community pharmacies are fast becoming a service heavily relied on by many patients as well as other healthcare services. A report shows that 79% of people have visited a pharmacy at least once in 2016, and that local pharmacies are often the public’s first point of contact.[1] With this increasing demand and contribution of community pharmacists, there is a risk of being overstretched and overlooking some seemingly small but very significant factors in patient care.
Arguably the biggest concern is the level of patient adherence to their medication, particularly in cases of polypharmacy and elderly patients. Aside from factors such as the patient forgetting their medication, or not liking the taste/feeling of taking medicine, a common reason for lack of patient adherence is a lack of health literacy.[2] Health literacy is defined to be “the ability of individuals to gain access to, understand and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health for themselves, their families, and their communities”. [3] Supporting a patient’s health literacy within a busy community pharmacy can sometimes be a problem, especially when the patient is reluctant to ask for this help or support. Furthermore, despite a pharmacist’s explanation, the patient may still not understand. Finally, there is also a problem of general literacy, as well as language barriers which can often make this essential communication difficult.
A potential technological solution to this modern-day problem would be the introduction of information booths within community pharmacies. This would be a small corner of the pharmacy with a touchscreen computer and a chair where patients can independently look up the medication they are taking and be provided with simple language and pictorial information on side effects, instructions on how to take the medication, and other important information which would normally be included on a patient information leaflet. This would be further be developed to also include various languages in which the information can be viewed. Language barriers are a major problem and it can be difficult for a pharmacist to explain essential information to patients.
The key benefits of such an information booth are immediately clear; a greater number of patients will be able to comprehend and consequently use their medicines better simply due to the variety of forms in which information is given to them. It can also prove to be a useful tool for educating the general public. Pictorial instructions and explanations are particularly invaluable, as they require very little understanding of healthcare or even the English language, making them accessible to all. An increase in adherence can also save money for both the NHS and the pharmacy itself as medicines are less likely to be wasted. [4] Additionally, this system would be relatively cost effective and not take up a great deal of space in the pharmacy itself. Finally, it will reduce the strain on pharmacists during busy times whilst also ensuring patients receive the information they require.
Evidently there are shortcomings of such a system, and these will now be explored. Firstly, the majority of patients who are reliant on multiple medications and have more complex conditions are the elderly, who may find it difficult to use the technology or be reluctant to do so. Secondly, there may be a concern about how time effective such a system is for patients regarding two main aspects; one that patients may have to wait if the computer is in use and they may be reluctant to wait, and two that the patient may only be seeking a simple, specific piece of information however they would have to go through the process of selecting their drug, the dose, and the formulation in order to retrieve the most accurate information. A third potential disadvantage of this system is that it removes the personal touch a pharmacist can offer; particularly in matters of healthcare it can be more comforting for a patient to have an actual conversation with a professional.
In conclusion, despite the shortcomings of having such a system in addition to a pharmacist who can talk to them personally ensures that all patients are catered for regardless of their personal needs. Those who are more comfortable would still be able to speak to the pharmacist as the personal touch can never be replaced completely, however this system would introduce a new alternative for those who do not benefit from this.
REFERENCES:
[1] Local Government Association; The community pharmacy offer for improving the public’s health: A briefing for local government and health and wellbeing boards. (March 2016)
[2] K. Field, S. Ziebland, A. McPherson, R. Lehman. ‘Can I come off the tablets now?’ A qualitative analysis of heart failure patients’ understanding their medication. Family practice, Volume 23, Issue 6, December 2006, Pages 624-630.
[3] World Health Organisation; The mandate for health literacy. (2016)
[4] A.W.Y. Ng, A.H.S Chan, W.W.S. Ho. Comprehension by older people of medication information with or without supplementary pharmaceutical pictograms. Applied Ergonomics, Volume 58, Pages 167 - 175 (January 2017)
