Pain management: Haleon’s pilot programme enhances pharmacist-patient consultations

In-store prompts and cues, rooted in behavioural science, encouraged patients to discuss their pain with community pharmacists 

Haleon’s Community Pharmacy Pain Consultations Programme, piloted in Australia, has shown promising potential for enhancing pharmacies' roles in pain management.

Running from January to May 2023, the programme was designed and tested by the Haleon Centre for Human Sciences, recognising the pressing need to optimise pain consultations between patients and pharmacists.

The used a series of simple interventions, rooted in behavioural science, aimed at improving patient experiences in pharmacies. These include window posters and floor graphics to disrupt habitual behaviours and reframe patients’ perceptions of the pharmacist’s role.

Results measured by Professor Colin Strong, head of behavioral science at IPSOS, indicated a significant increase in patient preparedness for discussing pain.

Specifically, 92 per cent of patients reported feeling more prepared for these conversations after the interventions, up from 71per cent before.

Furthermore, the number of patients who felt prompted by in-store cues to engage with their community pharmacist about body pain rose from 8 per cent to 21per cent.

Patients’ perception of pharmacies as more than just a place to pick up prescriptions also saw improvement, increasing from 41per cent to 72 per cent.

Laura Street, marketing director at Haleon, pointed out that many patients in pain often have established habits of thought and behaviour that prevent them from discussing their pain, evaluating their treatment needs, or following clinical advice.

She emphasised the critical need to support pharmacists in fulfilling their potential as holistic healthcare providers.

Thorrun Govind, a Haleon faculty member and pharmacist, underscored the importance recognising the role of community pharmacists in pain management to enhance patient care.

“Patients can often be stuck in a flare-and-fix cycle where they don’t engage with pharmacists around long-term pain management. This can lead to a transactional relationship for pharmacists and incorrectly managed pain for patients.

“Championing community pharmacists as pain management advisers recognises our expertise, but also our important place in providing accessible patient care,” she stated.

The Community Pharmacy Pain Consultations Programme is led by an interdisciplinary faculty of academic experts in human sciences and practising healthcare professionals.

Haleon noted that they created this programme in response to the growing need for better pain management, as highlighted by their 2023 Pain Index, which revealed a nearly 25 per cent increase in the emotional and everyday impact of pain globally over the past decade.

The results of the pilot programme demonstrated the value of integrating behavioural science principles into daily pharmacy practice.

The company unveiled its white paper on the Community Pharmacy Pain Consultations Programme at the recent Pharmacy Show.