What is vaccine hesitancy?
Here is a fact: vaccines are one of the best ways to prevent illness and death from certain diseases. And while nearly all healthcare providers accept this truth, the same cannot be said of all patients. Known as vaccine hesitancy, some patients are reluctant to vaccinations, most often influenced by factors, such as complacency, convenience and confidence.1
The good news? Vaccine hesitancy can be overcome – with a little help from local community pharmacists.
As frontline healthcare providers, vaccine administrators, and the community’s most trusted and accessible care provider, pharmacists can play a fundamental role in improving vaccination rates through patient education. But in order to properly educate patients, you must be able to properly engage them, which requires implementing effective communication strategies.
Keep reading to learn how your pharmacy staff can leverage the PrescribeWellness solution to help build and maintain strong patient relationships – a key to mitigating vaccine hesitancy and improving patient outcomes.
Community Pharmacists – Sources of Truth
Did you know 91% of Americans live within five miles of a community pharmacy? It’s true.
Also true is that the role of pharmacists as clinical care providers continues to expand. From medication safety to point of care testing, immunizations, and more, pharmacists are not only medication experts, they are also who people often turn to to get the right answers about their health.
In fact, many patients will consider vaccination after a recommendation from their community pharmacist, or other healthcare provider.2 This is why pharmacists are uniquely positioned to leverage the personal relationships they have built, and have open dialogues with their patients to influence vaccine decisions.
By identifying and addressing concerns, explaining vaccine safety and efficacy data, and dispelling common myths and misconceptions about vaccine-related adverse effects, pharmacists can serve as a source of truth that allows patients to make informed decisions about their health.
Of course, given this critical role, it is also important that pharmacists are equipped with the proper tools to effectively communicate with their patients, as well as remain up-to-date on the clinical data regarding currently recommended vaccines.
With PrescribeWellness Communicating is Caring
Patient engagement and personalized care help pharmacists build strong patient relationships, which lead to improved outcomes, loyalty, and revenue growth. But much like the difference between hearing and listening, there is an important distinction between communicating and communicating effectively.
With the PrescribeWellness Patient Communications tool, community pharmacies can better connect with customers by utilizing effective messaging campaigns and delivery channels – including voice and text – to meet patients where they are, and in the manner they want to be met.
Look no further than the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted how important it is for pharmacies to have access to the proper tools in order to execute effective patient engagement.
In fact, since March of 2020, PrescribeWellness has facilitated over 42 million patient communications – including patient outreach for COVID-19 awareness. From information on curbside or drive-through pickups, front-end items, or reassurance that medications are available and in stock, PrescribeWellness has helped pharmacists stay connected to their patients when it matters most.
Strong relationships, built through enhanced services such as immunizations, can keep patients engaged and safe, while also ensuring a leg up on the competition. Want to learn more about how your pharmacy can leverage the PrescribeWellness solution to better connect with your patients?
