The Sassy Pharmacist Discusses Patient Medication Adherence

Maurice Shaw, PharmD: Hi! I'm Maurice Shaw, AKA the Sassy Pharmacist. I am both a PharmD and a comedian. In fact, you may have seen my videos on YouTube.

Here's a Pet Peeve of mine, brought to you by the Sassy Pharmacist and Pharmacy Times^®.

I hate it when, after the 12th day, you put the prescription back and the customer gets upset because it is not ready anymore. When the customer asks, "Why did you put it back?" the Sassy Pharmacist replies, "Why didn't you pick it up?" or "When you didn't show up for 12 days, I assumed you didn't want it anymore."

Seriously, though, when a patient does not show up to pick up a prescription when it is ready, that offers a good opportunity for the pharmacist to offer counseling on the importance of adhering to their prescribed medications. If they are having trouble adhering, try getting to the root cause. Money troubles? Try connecting them with an assistance program so they can get their medication. Are they having trouble actually getting to the pharmacy? Consider counseling them on transportation options or other options your pharmacy may offer to get patients their prescriptions. They'll thank you for the advice!

As a reminder, when dealing with customers in the pharmacy you can either stay classy or get sassy. Stay sassy my friends!