Tips and tricks for better use by pharmacist assistants
What does Empego do?
Empego relieves the pharmacist's workload and enables him or her to prepare for the consultation;
The patient is taken care of right from the start, with questions asked in advance;
The patient knows that his or her case is being looked after while he or she waits to speak to the pharmacist.
What's in it for pharmacist assistants?
Better connection with the patient and enhances the professional aspect of the pharmacy;
Adds a clinical aspect by working in conjunction with the pharmacist;
Shows the patient that pharmacist assistants are pharmacists' partners in patient health care.
Why fill in the questionnaire?
"It helps the pharmacist fully understand your situation and needs before talking to you."
"The pharmacist can prepare in advance for your question, doing research if necessary to give you an answer more quickly."
"The pharmacist is on his own, we help him save time and be able to advise you faster by answering questions specific to your problem in advance."
"The pharmacist will use your answers to guide his advice. So it's important to take the time to answer them properly."
For Bill 41: "The pharmacist may prescribe the drug under certain conditions. I'm just going to ask you a few questions to make sure that the pharmacist can prescribe the drug for you."
How to deal with reluctant patients
Create a personalized consultation reason with the title "Confidential" and enter as much information as possible in the additional details section.
"To help you better, what is your consultation about?"
"Can you direct me to the type of consultation you would like to obtain in order to guide the pharmacist?"
Possibility of sending the personalized consultation by SMS if the patient does not wish to divulge anything.
"You can put information about your reason for consultation in the additional information section. Only the pharmacist will see this information."
What to do in case of heavy traffic?
Use Empego at the front desk anyway, a floating pharmacist assistant can be added if there are two front desks;
Patients feel they are taken care of more quickly if they have already answered questions before waiting for the pharmacist to call; the wait seems shorter for them.
What to do with substitutes?
Substitutes are generally very adaptable;
Ask them if they've worked with Empego before, and show them our training videos if not.
General tips and tricks for optimal use
Don't forget the option of skipping a question if the patient or pharmacist assistant is uncomfortable;
Send the consultation by SMS before accessing the patient file. This gives the patient time to receive the SMS before leaving the front desk, to make sure he or she has received it;
Have the index of Empego consultations on the desktop of the front desk for consultation as needed;
Play with the search bar to familiarize yourself with the keywords and reasons for consultation available in the application;
Use the more general questionnaires if in doubt about the right consultation reason to choose (e.g. skin problem, eye problem, general pain, etc.);
Always enter additional information in the last section of the questionnaire.
Other examples of introductory phrases for pharmacist assistants
"I'm going to send you a secure link by text or email to a site that will ask you questions specific to your problem. Include additional information in the final box to help the pharmacist better assist you. It's only 5-7 questions to help the pharmacist, he'll see you afterwards."
"To save time, the pharmacist is busy at the moment anyway, I'm going to send you a form in advance so that you can answer questions specific to your consultation and the pharmacist will be able to help you better afterwards. He'll have access to all your answers and can do his research in advance if necessary."
"I'll be able to ask you a few questions in advance that are specific to your reason for consultation to help the pharmacist, who is busy at the moment. He'll have access to all the answers so he can talk to you afterwards. Is that all right with you?"