A patient walks into the pharmacy looking for help.
They may have a sore throat. Respiratory symptoms. A recent potential HIV exposure. Or a concern that could be addressed through another point-of-care service.
What happens next isn’t determined by a test alone.
It starts with assessment.
Start With the Patient, Not the Test
Point-of-care technology can deliver information quickly. But speed is only valuable when the right test is used for the right patient.
Pharmacy professionals need to be able to gather relevant information, recognize clinical signs and symptoms, understand the limitations of available tests, and determine whether testing is appropriate.
Sometimes the right decision is to test.
Sometimes it’s not.
And sometimes the safest next step is referral.
Know What the Result Means for the Next Decision
A result doesn’t end the clinical decision-making process.
It informs it.
Pharmacists need current knowledge to determine whether treatment is appropriate and how that treatment fits with the patient’s broader clinical picture.
Technicians also play an important role by supporting accurate testing processes, effective specimen collection, workflow, and patient communication within their scope and applicable requirements.
Together, those skills can create a more efficient path from patient concern to appropriate care.
Keep Up With Changing Clinical Guidance
This is particularly important as guidance continues to evolve.
Updated approaches to strep testing and treatment, respiratory illnesses, HIV prevention, and other services can change how pharmacy teams assess patients and make decisions.
A process that worked a year ago shouldn’t automatically become the process your team follows forever.
Annual education creates an opportunity to revisit those decisions.
Practice the Decisions Before the Patient Arrives
Knowing a guideline and applying it in a busy pharmacy aren’t always the same thing.
Realistic patient scenarios can help bridge that gap.
By working through when to test, which test to select, how to respond to the result, and when to refer, pharmacy professionals can strengthen the decision-making skills they’ll need in practice.
You’ll explore current guidance and practical patient scenarios designed to help you move from knowing what’s new to knowing what to do next.