Pfizer scratch card to help medicines engagement
Pfizer has launched a scratch card to help increase patient engagement with pharmacy staff and services in England, such as the Medicines Use Review (MUR) and New Medicine Service (NMS).
The scratch card is postcard-sized and contains five simple statements about medicines use. Individuals scratch a section of the card to indicate how strongly they agree or disagree with each statement and then return it to a member of the pharmacy team who will use the responses to provide appropriate advice.
The NMS scheme provides extra help and advice to people prescribed particular medicines for a long-term condition for the first time, while for the MUR pharmacists meet patients taking a range of medicines to establish any issues that could be resolved.
Above: Sample of the scratch card
Ash Soni, President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society pointed out that public awareness of pharmacy services was low and said the problem needed to be addressed to increase knowledge and help improve medicines adherence: "The scratch cards are designed to capture public attention and I welcome any tool that creates opportunities for pharmacy teams and the public to engage in meaningful conversations about medicines."
By engaging more with the public about their medicines and how to take them, pharmacists can increase adherence and outcomes as well as reducing wastage, which runs into millions of pounds every year.
The card has been developed in consultation with the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and is supported by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC), Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), and Pharmacy Voice.
The scratch cards will be launched to the public on 20 October and an awareness campaign will be run across England and Wales in 2014/15.
The pharmaceutical giant runs the Pfizer Healthy Partnerships (PHP) resource for pharmacists, providing a range of tools and resources to assist them in helping their patients to get the best out of their medicines. The medicines optimisation campaign is now in its third year. Talking about the scratch card initiative, Paula Tully, head of Global Established Pharma UK at Pfizer said: "Pfizer is proud to be able to continue this campaign with the support and partnership of the pharmacy community's leaders."
Any schemes that help reduce the drugs bill must be applauded as the NHS faces a possible £30 billion deficit in funding by 2020.
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