Patient Services
For many years, Pharmacists have monitored patient conditions such as measuring blood pressure. These services have been recorded in a variety of ways, including handwritting on paper, patient cards and spread sheets.
GuildCare recognises that while these services are provided in the pharmacy on a regular basis, there is a requirement for standardising service delivery by streamlining and simplifying the process.
GuildCare guides the pharmacist to record and monitor patient's progress and provides the patient with a handout in a structured professional format. The handout contains the patient's details, medication history (if available), pharmacy details and patient results as a one off measurement or as a series of measurements monitored over time.
The report may include comments, observations, and recommendations associated with each record at each point in time. This allows the patient to easily share information with their doctor.
GuildCare Patient Se
- 'Pop up' in program alerts the pharmacist to patients who may qualify for the service
- Request by patients
- Ad-hoc (unprompted) request by pharmacists when they believe patients could benefit from the service
Baby Progress Recording Service
Baby Progress Recording Service assists in recording measurements of child growth, as requested by a parent in the pharmacy. The program documents the baby’s weight, length and head circumference, and maps them on a graph against the World Health Organisation Child Growth Charts, showing the percentile for the age in which the child's measurements fall.
There is space to record relevant conditions and interactions between the pharmacist/baby nurse and parents. Parents walk away with a valuable printout for their records.
Blood Glucose Monitoring Service
Blood Glucose monitoring service enables pharmacists to provide holistic diabetes management to patients through the monitoring and documentation of blood glucose and HbA1c levels. The module is adaptable for diabetes screening and risk assessment.
Blood Glucose monitoring service enables pharmacists to:
- Assess patients' ability to self-manage their condition at home
- Raise awareness and provide resources for diabetes-relate
d complications - Enrol patients ad-hoc using their professional judgment or at the patient’s request
- Provide the patient with a detailed printout for their records or for referral to another health professional
GuildCare software prompts at point of dispense for patients who are dispensed an insulin product, identifying suitable patients for blood glucose monitoring service
Blood Pressure Monitoring
Blood Pressure recording / monitoring program helps pharmacists detect patients who may benefit from blood pressure screening, risk assessment and monitoring. The pharmacist can be prompted by GuildCare to suggest the service or it may be conducted at the request of the patient.
Measurements are taken and recorded and the pharmacist can then provide advice and recommendations
ClickFit
| GuildCare partners with SP Health to deliver an affordable and easy to use Health & Fitness program - ClickFit.
ClickFit is a scientifically based, online tool designed to build a holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle. It provides an opportunity to boost patient engagement in-store. There is no need for a weight-loss or nutrition specialist in your pharmacy.
ClickFit provides handy tools such as:
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COPD Screening Service
In Australia, 1 in 7 people over forty have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)1. It is the fourth most common cause of death in men, and sixth most common in women. COPD mainly affects older people. It’s a leading cause of death both in Australia2 and internationally3, with death rates highest in winter’.
Many people are unaware they may COPD. Pharmacists should encourage customers 35 years or older, who are feeling breathless or have a cough that won't go away, have a history of smoking, to screen for COPD.
GuildLink partnered with Lung Foundation Australia to help pharmacists carry out and document the steps required for COPD screening. These steps include identifying patients eligible for screening, populating patient information, measuring spirometry using PIKO-6 or COPD-6, recording and interpreting the results of measurements, and referring to GPs for further testing if appropriate.
The software prompts at point of dispense to either suggest patients' possible eligibility for screening, or patients who could be enrolled ad-hoc.
Refer to community pharmacies case studies and how they have successfully implented COPD screening on Lung Foundation Australia.
Inhaler Technique Check
Many people think they know how to use their asthma inhaler. Yet it’s believed up to 90% of people do not use their devices properly.3
Consequently, patients may not be receiving the full benefit of medication. Incorrect use can lead to poor breathing control. Sometimes the patient ends up in hospital.
This module assists pharmacists in assessing patient inhaler technique, with the aim of identifying, correcting and documenting any issues in the technique to improve asthma control. It prompts to suggest patients at point of dispense, but also allows for ad-hoc enrolment of those patients using over the counter inhalers.
The module includes a National Asthma Council video showing correct inhaler technique with a checklist to assess each step of a patient's technique. It provides a printout of the information and the checklist, so patients can see the steps they need to improve. An Asthma Action Plan can be printed with patient details to take to a GP for completion.
Did you know...? Correcting patient's inhaler device use qualifies as a Clinical Intervention. Watch GuildCare video to see how GuildCare software identifies more Clinical Intervention opportunities.
INR Recording
INR levels are measured by a blood test, either through a laboratory or can be conducted in the pharmacy.
The GuildCare INR Recording Service uses a 'pop up' to alert the pharmacist to patients who may qualify for the program. The medicine currently used for the 'pop up' is the blood thinning medication - warfarin.
The pharmacist can use the program to record a patient's INR readings to ensure they remain in the acceptable range for a person taking warfarin. After the pharmacist records all the information prompted by the INR module a hand out is generated that can be given to the patient showing where their INR measurement lies in the target range.This handout is also a useful resource for their GP.
Health Check
Health Check provides a holistic overview of a patient's health & includes Australian Type 2 Diabetes risk assessment tool (AUSDRISK).
Pharmacy can assess patient's risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes over the next 5 years.
Lipid Recording
Lipid levels are measured by a blood test and can be done in a laboratory or at the pharmacy. Patients can be enrolled in the GuildCare Lipid Recording Service through the prompt in the software, or alternatively it may be conducted at the patient's request or pharmacist's suggestion. The module enables the pharmacist to record the patient's:
- Total cholesterol
- Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL-C
- High-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or HDL-C
- Triglycerides, or TG
This module also has the ability to calculate a patient's Cardiovascular Risk Score.
After the pharmacist records all the information as prompted by the GuildCare Lipid Recording Module, a handout is generated that can be given to the patient showing where they lie in reference to the 'target range' with their lipid measurements. This handout is also a valuable resource for the patient's GP.
The services provided as part of the GuildCare Lipid Recording Service satisfy Primary Health PPI under cardiovascular screening and risk assessment.
Vaccinations Recording
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated that between three and five million cases of severe illness and between 250,000 and 500,000 deaths occur every year around the world associated with influenza. (www.isg.org.au
Between Jan 1st and October 10th 2014, 72 influenza associated deaths were notified to Australia’s National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). The median age of death was 72 years old. People suffering from chronic illnesses and the elderly are at higher risk. They can develop complications such as bronchitis and pneumonia, which may result in hospitalisation and, on occasion, death. Anyone aged 65 years and older and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged 50 years and over, are at high risk from influenza (flu) and pneumococcal disease and the complications of these diseases, with the great majority of deaths from these conditions occurring in these age groups. (www.health.gov
Australian Pharmacies have been able to provide flu vaccination in some states since 2011. A pharmacy must have an accredited vaccine administrator on site to offer the vaccination service to patients.
Vaccination Recording program enables pharmacies to record vaccinations administered in their pharmacy. It provides:
• Patient consent form
• Screening checklist for vaccination suitability
• FAQs to support patient interaction
• Printouts with a record of vaccination for the patient
• Option of a GP report or a GP referral
The program records the vaccine administered and all details of administration, such as batch number and site of administration. It is fully compliant with Quality Care Pharmacy Program (QCPP) and state guidelines.
Weight Recording
This module assists pharmacies offering weight support programs record and track participating patients.
The software allows the pharmacist to record common weight metrics, such as: weight, height, BMI, waist circumference as well as any interactions with the patient. The pharmacy can then track the patient's progress over time with graphs and a display of written comments from pharmacy staff as part of the chosen weight loss program.
1. Lung Foundation Australia
2. AIHW, 2014. ‘Mortalit
3. Lozano et al: 2012 ‘Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as a cardiovascular risk factor’. (CONSISTE study)
4. www.asthmaaustr