Q&A: Elsevier’s Anderson discusses making a positive impact on the industry

Drug Store News: Tell us about Elsevier.  
Trygve Anderson: Elsevier is a global analytics business leading the way in advancing science, technology and health. We help our customers make better decisions, deliver better care, and combine content with technology, supported by operational efficiency, to turn information into actionable knowledge through various vehicles, including:

• Clinical Pharmacology powered by ClinicalKey: a trusted source for current, accurate, clinically relevant drug information;

• Gold Standard Drug Database: enables intelligent drug data decisions; and

• Patient Engagement: evidence-based and interactive information.

DSN: How can you help retail pharmacists build better relationships with patients, maximize your products and get consumers more involved?
TA: Elsevier partners with customers to help pharmacists serve the needs of their patients throughout their health-and-wellness journey. We work closely with our customers to ensure they have evidence-based content and solutions needed to be confident, informed medication advisors. The following patient scenario demonstrates how Elsevier’s solutions help retail pharmacists build stronger relationships with patients, while helping pharmacists maximize products and encourage discussions regarding their patients’ medication therapy.

For example, a 30-year-old female walks into a retail pharmacy to pick up a new prescription – Synthroid — and plans to speak with a pharmacist regarding her struggles with both sleep and stress. The patient is stressed, feeling overwhelmed and anxious due to sudden changes of working from home and parenting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, she is experiencing nausea and heartburn — hoping for an OTC recommendation.

Utilizing Elsevier’s content management system, the pharmacist finds a video and invites the patient to watch a short video on “Understanding Anxiety.” While the patient is watching the video, the pharmacist reviews Elsevier’s patient education to help prepare for the consultation. With Elsevier’s content management solution, pharmacists have access to over 1,000 videos on various health topics, ranging from 2-to-3 minutes in length, allowing pharmacists to create personalized playlists based on patients’ needs. The videos feature 3-D graphics, onscreen text and closed captioning in both English and Spanish.

While the patient is watching the video, the pharmacist accesses ClinicalKey, Elsevier’s online reference tool to access information on anxiety and insomnia. The ClinicalKey solution includes point of care clinical overviews; full text references; practice guidelines; Medline access to abstracts, videos, clinical calculators; and more.

The pharmacist accesses clinical overviews for anxiety and 2021 Ferri’s clinical advisor text, focusing on nonpharmacologic therapy and sleep hygiene topics within ClinicalKey. As the pharmacist is discussing stress-related measures, they access Elsevier’s text-based education library, which includes over 3,800 titles on disease states, health conditions, wellness and other complementary topics. It also contains drug education sheets for all medications.

The pharmacist then reviews education on the recommended treatment and discusses the medication with the patient, and uses Gold Standard Drug Database to run a drug interaction screen against the patient’s current medication and discusses the interaction screen for lifestyle choices regarding alcohol, caffeine and tobacco.

As a result of access to Elsevier’s content, the pharmacist is able to engage with the patient by sharing information on mindful stress reduction and quality sleep information. The pharmacist discusses over-the-counter options, recommending melatonin for sleep and omeprazole for heartburn.

In closing, the pharmacist prints the education and video QR code or agrees to send education links by email to make sure the patient can reference the information anytime they choose. As you can see, Elsevier delivers evidence-based content for both the pharmacist and the patient, whether they need to access traditional medication information, complementary and alternative medicines or wellness topics — Elsevier has the pharmacist covered.

DSN: How does Elsevier see itself being involved in the future of pharmacy?
TA: Our team is committed to maximizing the positive impact our solutions provide to the pharmaceutical industry. Our executive and product management teams welcome the opportunity to engage with stakeholders for ongoing solution development and strategic planning discussions.