Technology in Pharmacy Business with Scott Carpenter

The Spectrum Pharmacist

November 17, 2022

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In this episode of the Pharmacy View Podcast, host Scott Carpenter, EVBC, sits with Yvette Anderson, Clinical Pharmacist, Business Founder, and Consultant. In this episode, they talk about The Spectrum Pharmacist and how Yvette’s life as such has given a sense of direction to what they do on a professional level.

Yvette grew up in Sydney and has been in Pharmacy Industry since they were 16 years old. They have worked in most areas of Pharmacy—community, consulting, home medication, asthma medication, hospital pharmacy (both public and private), and age care. Yvette is a mother to 3 boys, two of whom are neurodiverse. It was initially challenging for Yvette and their family to understand and help their sons. That is how Yvette came up with The Spectrum Pharmacist: an amalgamation of their lived experience and professional knowledge.

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Yvette believes there is a lack of understanding, education, awareness, and even inclusion of the neurodiverse space. Pharmacists are the first line of contact for so many people, and they have empathy that many people lack—that makes people trust them. Yvette thinks this makes the dissemination of information a tad bit easier for Pharmacists.

Regarding the work with PharmOnline, Yvette talks about what a great mentor Anna Barwick has been since they connected over LinkedIn in 2001. PharmOnline is a telehealth service that allows you to contact Pharmacists 24*7*365 from the comfort of your home. The platform also allows users to book a one-on-one consultation with Yvette. Adding to that, they say that technology plays an important role in what they do, to the point of making global communication possible.

When asked about access to education and training, Yvette shares how they have been working on education modules and that they provide services through Neurodiverse Squad, which is an invitation for individuals and their families, teachers, carers, health professionals, and anyone to spend an hour and a half with Yvette and a special guest.

All in all, Yvette’s goal is to increase awareness and understanding in the neuro-diverse space. And they want everyone to understand the challenges and come in with a bit of compassion and empathy.

Topics Covered

Working as a Pharmacist
Origin of The Spectrum Pharmacist
Working with PharmOnline
Need for awareness and compassion in the neuro-diverse space
Use of technology

Key Quotes (Time Stamps)

“I then moved into aged care which was a really great experience to be able to put some of those clinical skills into place in a demographic that especially needs our help as Pharmacists. And getting into the quality use of medicine was really important for me.” (2:01 – 2:16)

“I have three boys, two of whom are neurodiverse; my eldest and my youngest sons. In 2014, my son was only four years old. He got diagnosed—which was then Asperger’s, under the DSM, which is now under Autism-Spectrum Disorder. So, yeah! 4 years old—Asperger’s, ADHD, insomnia, and chronic anxiety. Our world completely changed then.” (4:05 – 4:28)

“There is such a deficit in understanding, education and awareness, and even inclusion for the neuro-diverse space that even I in the health professional industry and I had some knowledge; but we don’t…even in the Pharmacy degree, you don’t get a neuro-diverse section of your degree. There are a few ADHD meds, and off you go!” (4:38 – 5:00)

“And then, trying to overcome the stigma of having a son that had some extra challenges has kind of really directed my career as such as well. I am working a lot more in that space. I decided to jump into the deep end and create The Spectrum Pharmacist to combine that lived knowledge that I got which is so very important, along with all my professional knowledge, to try and help everyone else in that space.” (5:03 – 5:30)

“Linking it with Anna and PharmOnline—so, I started with PharmOnlineAU in 2001. It is a great platform through which I can reach people that I normally wouldn’t be able to reach. So, obviously, PharmOnline is a telehealth service. So, you can contact a Pharmacist 24*7*365 from the comfort of your home.” (6:40 -7:00)

“That telehealth option now is so very important, I think, in not only the rural community but for a number of people with mental health conditions along with many other things. Technology is definitely playing a bigger part in my role than I probably would have originally thought.” (7:22 – 7:41)

“I am really excited that those platforms allow me to deliver information to anyone and at any place.” (9:15 – 9:22)

“Pharmacists are the first line of contact for so many people. And it is one of those industries; where we have that huge level of empathy for people, you know. I find myself an advocate for people coming into the hospital. EDs are not sensory-friendly places at all. And so, that awareness of those additional needs is significant.” (10:06 – 10:28)

“Neurodiverse Squad is an invitation for individuals and their families, teachers, carers, health professionals, and anyone really who is wanting to go on that journey. So, you get an hour and a half with me and a special guest. So, the next one is a child psychologist. And we go through everything from the diagnostic process to what evidence-based practices are available within Australia, have them set some really good goals, which is so very important, building your collaborative team, obviously from Pharmacists’ side the medications that are available. I am hoping to connect with a lot of other health professionals to provide that information on specific topics. And the best way that they can interact with their customers and patients within the community setting to try and elevate their level of understanding as well.” (11:50 – 12:44)

“Having more individuals in the health space that are actually more aware of these conditions and what it means for their daily living is probably my most important point of call at the moment.” (15:52 – 16:05)

“The neurodiverse space is not for everyone. It is a very complex space. But I think if we can all have a little bit more knowledge and awareness, a little bit more compassion would probably be the best message I can get out to people. It’s really important that we be mindful that everyone has their own challenges and we need to be very respectful of those things.” (21:40 – 22:01)