While public opinion polling shows that pharmacists are well regarded, respected and trusted by more than 90% of Canadians, those same surveys also highlight something more perplexing: while Canadians have a positive impression of pharmacists, they are just not top of mind for Canadians seeking health care, and patients do not think of a pharmacist as a go-to primary health care provider.
To help bridge that gap, Canadians, as well as other key stakeholders and opinion leaders, are being asked to “Rethink Pharmacists”—a campaign designed to build a more consistent brand for the profession by showcasing the potential, and current reality, of what pharmacists can do to further help manage their patients’ health.
Why Rethink Pharmacists? While pharmacy and the role of pharmacists have changed, the public still has an outdated view of the profession—in many cases, as just a dispenser of medication. When presented with various scenarios about who they would see to treat various conditions, pharmacists were not among the top choices. So it’s about building greater awareness of pharmacists and the profession—showing that pharmacists provide more than what people traditionally think and presenting “I didn’t know they could do that” moments.
The goal is to drive change in behaviour among patients (use pharmacists more for managing their health) and provincial governments (include pharmacists as an additional option for reimbursed services).
As well as the common theme of Rethink Pharmacists, specific creative elements have been created to convey messaging around how “pharmacists can help,” whether by improving patient health outcomes or helping to reduce costs in a cash-strapped health care system.
For example, one series of creative elements, called “The pharmacist will see you now,” emphasizes that pharmacists are accessible, convenient and close to home and are available when Canadians need them for managing their health.
Another set of creative elements, called “Health care in Canada needs to see a pharmacist,” presents a more targeted message: pharmacists can help improve health care by having governments increase the pharmacists’ role in targeted health services.
The Image and Reputation Collaborative, a CPhA-facilitated initiative, was tasked with developing campaign material with a common look, theme and consistent message for use by participating member associations. To date, print ad, poster and social media templates for Facebook and Twitter are available.
As a complement to the campaign material, a Rethink Pharmacists microsite, with provincial subpages, is in development. Content will reinforce, through text, graphics and video, that it is time to rethink the role pharmacists can play for patients and health care. ■
