Search
Your independent pharmacy is jam-packed with helpful products. Whether they’re behind or over the counter, your pharmacy has all the things it needs to make your patients happier, healthier, and brighter versions of themselves.
Everyone’s health journey is unique, meaning what works for one person won’t exactly work for another. Sometimes a patient needs to go to a doctor’s office to treat a certain ailment, whereas others just need an Advil to keep trucking along.
Optimize your pharmacy shelves by understanding the true power of your over-the-counter products. Though there are definitely times when a patient requires prescription medication, over-the-counter products can greatly help in certain cases.
Here’s how over-the-counter products can take patient care to the next level.
Needless to say — but it still needs to be said — the following sections do not suggest that getting over-the-counter products is the “best” way to treat a certain ailment. In many cases, an over-the-counter medication can effectively treat whatever ailment your patients have.
Over-the-counter medications are rarely intended for long-term use. If symptoms worsen or persist, advise your patient to consult their doctor.
Your pharmacy’s over-the-counter section likely looks like a giant wall of different boxes, bottles, and bright colors. The sheer volume of products your patients can choose from can easily be overwhelming.
Imagine: all your patient wants is something to treat their headache, but now they’re in the rabbit hole of NSAIDs.
They might not know which medications do what or what the difference between ibuprofen and naproxen is. Should they use a name brand or generic? Does that liquid gel really act faster than a standard tablet?
One of your key roles as an independent pharmacist is to inform your patients and educate them on what they’re taking.
That giant wall of pills and bottles suddenly doesn’t become so intimidating after a while. With the help of a friendly greeting and a simple consultation, you’re putting your patients on a brighter and smooth path on their health journey.
Now that we’ve climbed the summit of patient literacy, now you can show your patients the untapped power of over-the-counter products.
Over-the-counter products are best treated as the first way to treat certain ailments. Those ailments include:
Over-the-counter products are meant to treat mild cases of these ailments (and others). An over-the-counter product is usually all they need to get over a cold, cough, or other seasonal ailments.
Again, your patients shouldn’t try to take an over-the-counter product long-term (unless under a doctor’s supervision).
Every problem has a solution. Health problems generally require a simple solution: the right medicine. Sure, it definitely gets more complex than that, but that’s the gist of it.
There are literally tons of medications to choose from, and you can only counsel so many patients before your pharmacy’s workflow suffers.
That’s what makes showcasing your pharmacy’s products so important. Whether it’s creatively arranging your OTC shelves or creating a custom endcap for a specific product, this tactic will naturally grab your patients’ attention.
Not only will this help your patients choose an over-the-counter product, but it’s also just plain good marketing.
This can only work for certain products. If you’re wanting to demonstrate a product’s effectiveness, you might want to hold off on the ibuprofen or loratadine.
Offering samples of higher-end over-the-counter products is a tried and tested form of getting an eventual purchase. The patient knows exactly what they’d be getting and will know whether that 8-ounce tube of lotion or super expensive bottle of fish oil is worth the hefty price tag.
Even if they decide that the sample is good enough, you would’ve established a rapport with that patient. When it’s time for them to drop off a prescription, they will remember that friendly pharmacist or pharmacy tech from a few weeks back.
Before you know it, you have a new patient, strengthening your loyal customer base.
Patient counseling is one of the best ways to promote health literacy within your patient base. But the reality is that pharmacy work can have you running laps around your store throughout the day.
Whether it’s taking call-in prescriptions, transferring scripts to another pharmacy, or administering vaccines, you unfortunately won’t get to do everything you want in a single day.
That’s what makes an over-the-counter guide incredibly helpful. You can either create one or refer them to various online resources, such as PharmacyTimes’ “OTC Guide” page.
If you’re creating your own OTC guide, focus on your pharmacy’s most popular products. Put them at the front of the guide since your patients will likely be searching for those products.
Make the guide as personalized and specific to your pharmacy as possible. The advantage of working in an independent pharmacy is having the freedom to put your own spin on patient care.
Tailor-make your guide like you have with the other aspects of pharmacy. The more specialized you get with it, the better.
Over-the-counter products provide a wealth of possibilities — both for your pharmacy’s finances and your patient’s health.
Though these products yield a mountain of potential, your patients need to know what exactly makes up that giant wall of medicine. That’s where you, the willing and able pharmacist, come in.
Patient counseling, promoting health literacy, offering samples, and showcasing certain over-the-counter products are all great ways to maximize your bottom line.
Furthermore, pushing your pharmacy’s over-the-counter health products lets you further strengthen your relationship with your patients.
Greater revenue, more loyal customers — all without a prescription.
