Thursday, November 10, 2011

Walgreens pharmacies outfits "health guides" with iPads

From the Chicago Sun-Times we have an article about Walgreens having an iPad-toting employee may just ask if you need help finding real-time health information.
The health guide — a new, full-time employee stationed at 16 Walgreens stores in the Chicago area — is part of the Deerfield-based company’s efforts to become what it calls a “health and daily living resource.”
“The concept is meant to create a pharmacy and health care ‘help desk’ where customers get solutions or referrals for their personal health questions,” said Colin Watts, Walgreen Co.’s chief innovation officer.
Interestingly, the "health guide" is not a pharmacist.  Rather, the role of the health guide is to "keep patients from taking up valuable [pharmacist] time with routine issues".  Supposedly this is to allow the pharmacist to spend more one-on-one time with patients.
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1 comment:

  1. Melonie L. StantonNovember 21, 2011 at 2:46 PM

    I am concerned that this will discourage patients from forming a relationship with their community pharmacist. And what if this 'health guide' misinterprets medical information or give bad advice??

    ReplyDelete

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