New digital platform to empower patients to make better OTC decisions

With pharmacist scope continuing to expand in B.C., University of British Columbia (UBC) pharmacy students Hana Rahili and Hasti Haghdadi wanted to ensure community pharmacists could fully embrace these opportunities. So, in identifying over-the-counter (OTC) products as a key area where they could save pharmacists' time, they developed a digital platform, Xpress Select, to give patients a quick way to get informed information on OTCs.Implemented in a kiosk format in the pharmacy, patients can input the symptoms they're experiencing and get an OTC recommendation based on the guidelines around their conditions. The software will also flag symptoms that warrant a prescription or further discussion with pharmacist, and immediately send a report to the pharmacy to review. The platform is currently being piloted at two independent community pharmacies in Vancouver, with a plan to pilot across more local pharmacies over the next few months. Read: Teen addressing drug shortages with new tool for pharmacistsIn joining an entrepreneur incubator program at UBC, the pharmacy students were able to interview 78 pharmacists in the Greater Vancouver Area to determine that time constrains were preventing pharmacists from doing more clinical services. They then identified OTC recommendations as a key place where they could streamline services and save pharmacists' time. Haghdadi says unlike prescription services, pharmacists cannot bill directly for OTC counselling, even though they spend an hour and half per average in conversations about this per eight-hour shift. "And the OTC market is valued at billions, so enhancing the efficiency in this sector also helps elevate sales." The duo—who have been best friends since they were kids—teamed up with a UBC computer science student to develop the software and have funded it themselves and with support from family and friends. "Our immediate focus is gaining traction in independent pharmacies where the foot traffic is a little lower to figure out how we can make the product better," says Haghdadi, noting that they are also in talks with Pharmasave about future expansion.Read: Innovators: Compound interestThe platform will work on a subscription basis for pharmacies. "We have been in talks with the College of Pharmacy and Ministry of Health to make sure we're not crossing any boundaries, and made it clear in our product that what we are suggesting is just a recommendation," says Rahili. "It's still up to the patient to decide if they want to take that recommendation, and we're not diagnosing."The software will also tell patients if they're candidates for minor ailment prescribing and advise them to go to the pharmacy counter. Given that patients may better benefit from a prescription product for a minor ailment, Rahili says the software can help prevent them from wasting time on an OTC for a few weeks only to have to come back for a prescription. The pharmacy students continue to work on new reiterations of the software that can address patient needs from all angles, including adding language preferences and Plan W health benefits, which cover some OTCs for Indigenous populations in B.C."We're very excited to now be connecting with stakeholders who share our vision for redefining pharmacy workflow," says Haghdadi. "We're excited to see where this goes."

New digital platform to empower patients to make better OTC decisions

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