Pharmacy teams play a pivotal role in patient care. The pharmacy landscape continues to evolve quickly and we need to continue to evolve the way we work together as an engaged pharmacy team to provide optimal and holistic pharmacy care.
When pharmacy teams are engaged, actively involved and collaborate effectively, it brings about a noticeable change in how patients receive support and care.
I like to refer to this as the attention you bring at the point of care. It's your head and heart space. The space you have in your hearts and minds, each moment, to be present to each other, listen with empathy and have a conversation that builds relationships and can influence outcomes.
When you learn to cultivate this and take the necessary steps to make it a cultural norm in your pharmacy, you can improve the experience for your customers and patients.
Here are 5 ways that engaged teams can influence patient outcomes and experiences:
Create a meaningful and measurable impact - According to Gallup's State of the Global Workplace Report, businesses with engaged workers have ‘significantly lower absenteeism, reduced staff turnover and accidents, can generate up to 23% higher profits, and in healthcare settings, deliver improved patient safety outcomes” compared to those with disengaged workers. Finding ways to engage your team can have a measurable impact.
Enhance Patient Interactions - Engaged teams build rapport and trust with patients through effective communication. More confidently implementing patient education initiatives to promote medication adherence and health literacy and tailoring services to meet the diverse needs of patients, including language and cultural considerations.
Optimise Workflow Efficiency - Engaged team are great at implementing workflow optimisation strategies to enhance productivity and patient satisfaction. They step into proactive problem-solving in addressing operational challenges to improving overall efficiency and utilise efficient dispensing systems and automation to reduce errors and wait times.
Collaborate with Healthcare Providers - Focusing on interdisciplinary collaboration in optimising patient care helps facilitate more seamless transitions of care and promotes continuity of medication management. These are critically important areas in the overall holistic care of patients. Teams that find ways to build community with local healthcare providers ultimately extend the impact of care across more people in the community.
Embrace a Patient-Centred Approach - When teams have the patient at the centre of everything they do, they are much better at incorporating patient preferences and goals into counselling conversations and even treatment plans. They are also more effective at supporting medication management, to personalise care and improve outcomes. Ultimately, empowering patients to take a more active role in their healthcare.
Highlighting the importance of ongoing engagement, collaboration, and patient-centred practices with your team, can impact the patients in your community in more meaningful and measurable ways.