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At CPC, we’ve long recognized the value of understanding customer journeys and developing content that’s tailored to specialized audiences.
Traditionally, our healthcare professional marketing efforts have focused on physicians, with other HCPs like nurses and pharmacists often being viewed as secondary audiences with little influence on treatment decisions. Over the last several years, however, the pharmacy profession has seen its scope of practice expanding. The role of the pharmacist has moved beyond prescription dispensing to one that’s more clinical. While some provincial variability exists, Canadian pharmacists have become more involved in patient care, from the ability to renew or extend prescriptions, to administering vaccines, to the increasing authority to assess and prescribe for minor ailments. And with family physicians and ERs struggling with overwhelming demand (especially since the COVID-19 pandemic), more and more Canadians are turning to their pharmacist as an alternate primary healthcare provider.
With pharmacy teams offering increased clinical services to support patient care, how can the pharmaceutical industry best respond to support pharmacists in turn? New opportunities to engage with and market to pharmacists have emerged, falling into three primary objectives:
1. Increase brand awareness
With pharmacists’ expanding authority to assess and prescribe for both minor ailments and some chronic conditions, pharmaceutical companies now need to keep pharmacists just as informed as any other care provider. There’s a greater need for education initiatives focused on disease state, product clinical data, and key differentiators between products, so that pharmacists can appropriately assess their patients’ conditions and make informed prescribing decisions. Consistent touchpoints between your sales team and pharmacists, either in person or through pharmacist-directed communications like PharmaDirect or email/fax, can help keep your brand top of mind.
2. Support patient counselling
According to a recent survey by the Canadian Medical Association, 79% of Canadians say they trust pharmacists to provide health information. They’re also more likely to see their pharmacist more frequently than they may see their doctor. Consequently, pharmacists are in a position to support patients along their healthcare journeys. Pharmacists need to be equipped with tools to help counsel patients about what their medication is for, proper use of their medication, and managing side effects or drug interactions to achieve the best possible outcomes.
3. Improve patient retention
Pharmacists are in a unique position to monitor and support medication adherence. Providing pharmacists with innovative resources and tools, such as medication tracker apps or patient text messaging programs, can all drive medication compliance.The pharmacy profession is only expected to continue to evolve in the coming years. The pharmaceutical industry must engage pharmacists on a level not before seen to understand their unique needs and uncover new opportunities to support patient care. The CPC team is ready to support you with pharmacist-targeted strategy and content to elevate your brand.
The pharmacy profession is only expected to continue to evolve in the coming years. The pharmaceutical industry must engage pharmacists on a level not before seen to understand their unique needs and uncover new opportunities to support patient care. The CPC team is ready to support you with pharmacist-targeted strategy and content to elevate your brand.