An indispensable aid for those who enter the family doctor's office, in addition to the welcome to put the patient at ease. The work of white coat secretaries affects the quality of assistance, but also in the prescription of recipes.
The importance of family doctors' collaborators is revealed by a British study by the Queen Mary University of London, published in the 'British Medical Journal'. According to the research, the 50% of drug prescriptions requested by patients sees the active intervention of the secretaries. And this "when the drug, the dose or the timing of the therapy - says the survey - differ from the indications present on the personalized electronic database.
In addition, the intervention of these assistants would favor the diffusion and use of the generic". "In the doctor's office - the researchers suggest - the 75% of the work of the secretaries consists in repeating the pharmaceutical prescriptions necessary for the patients, for the purchase" of the medicines "in the pharmacy. Many patients think it is a foregone and automated process. But is not so.
Surprisingly - warns the research - the 50% of prescriptions requested by patients is classified by the secretaries as 'exceptions' and therefore requires the active intervention of the collaborator. For example – specifies the survey – by verifying the correctness of the medicines, the possibility of opting for the generic or phoning the patient to clarify doubts". The research also established how doctors' secretaries have now become indispensable for filtering and managing the flow of patient requests. And solving any problems within 48 hours. "Ensuring – underlines Deborah Swinglehurst, author of the study – that patients receive the treatment they need.
Timely and efficiently."
Francesco Maggi – 7 October 2011 – PharmaKronos
