Don't google it, ask your pharmacist
Don't google it, check a reliable source. That's the advice a Belgian healthcare website, Gezondheid en Wetenschap, recently advertised in this YouTube video that you have to play to believe. Sadly, they need to advertise such advice. Because do you know what is notably absent in the country? A pharmacist.
No, really. If you google "Belgian pharmacist," the first hit that comes across is a 2011 Wall Street Journal blog that specifically speaks to Belgian pharmacy restrictions on entry into market. According to the analysis, Belgium limits the number of pharmacies in any given area. There's even been a book written on the subject.
And while that googled reference might be a little dated, it makes one appreciate just how good we've got it in the United States — because here the pharmacist is one of the most accessible healthcare practitioners in the country. They're also one of the most trusted resources when it comes to conveying healthcare information.
Of course, people in this country conduct online searches for remedies, too. According to the PewResearch Internet Project, 72% of internet users say they looked online for health information within the past year. As many as 77% of online health seekers say they began their last session at a search engine such as Google or Yahoo. Another 13% say they began at a site that specializes in health information, like WebMD (which recently partnered with Walgreens, see below). Just 2% say they started their research at a more general site like Wikipedia and an additional 1% say they started at a social network site like Facebook.
Yet clinicians remain a central resource. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores commissions an annual Internet survey and according to the July 2014 survey they found that:
Fifty-percent of respondents indicated that, in the past 12 months, they had spoken to a pharmacist at a pharmacy about a question they had about a prescription medication;
Similarly, 47% indicated that they had a similar conversation about an over-the-counter medication; and
Twenty-nine percent about a personal health question.
Walgreens and WebMD recently went so far as to partner on the dissemination of healthcare information, bringing to the consumer the best of both worlds. "That deal couples the online go-to source for healthcare information with one of the retail pharmacy leaders in advancing the scope of practice across the back bench. The deal also underscores the industry trend toward making healthcare coaching readily available at the pharmacy counter by combining WebMD's digital engagement tools with on-hand assistance from Walgreens' pharmacists and nurse practitioners," Drug Store News noted when that deal was announced.
The point is that this "Don't google it" video reinforces the role community pharmacy does play and should play for consumers. The pharmacist is a knowledgeable and accessible healthcare professional in this country. And that's something that is probably better understood by Americans thanks to the work community pharmacy has done telling its story. For example, the NACDS just last month participated in the annual U.S. Senate Health Fair, October 16 and 17 at the U.S. Senate Hart building on Capitol Hill. The health fair provided thousands of Senate employees an opportunity to receive healthcare advice and care, highlighting the essential role community pharmacy plays in the healthcare delivery system to the very people who are shaping healthcare delivery in this country.
So don't google it, ask your pharmacist.