Finding time for counseling

To implement patient counseling, pharmacists must integrate new services into a significantly restructured prescription dispensing process to prevent marked reductions in efficiencies. Trying to add on counseling services--without changing existing systems--will reduce efficiency and increase unnecessary frustrations. Most pharmacy restructuring will require little or no additional expense--just changes in work flow, procedures, and functions, and/or small changes in physical layout. In a few situations, increasing efficiency may require major physical and design changes.