“It was the right thing to do”

Patient Eden Dell shares her appreciation for the extra efforts of pharmacist Shayla Nguyen.

When pharmacist Katrina (Shayla) Nguyen received a call from patient Eden Dell requesting her name and practice permit number after an appointment for a COVID-19 booster shot, Shayla wondered why Eden was requesting this information. A couple of weeks later, she found out.

Eden wanted to find a special way to thank Shayla for going above and beyond to support her as a patient, so she decided to contact ACP to share her gratitude.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Eden lived in Sweden, so she received her first three vaccinations there. Once she moved back to Canada, getting her vaccination records transferred over to Netcare proved difficult.

Eden had a trip to the United States planned and she was nervous about not having her complete vaccination records, as at the time, proof of vaccination was still required to travel there. After trying to get her records updated without success, Eden booked an appointment to get a booster shot at her pharmacy in Grande Prairie, in the hopes that the record showing her booster shot would suffice.

When she arrived at the pharmacy, prompted by questions from Shayla, Eden outlined the background of her situation and why she booked the appointment. Asking questions and encouraging patients to open up is a cornerstone of Shayla’s person-centred approach.

“My approach to patient care is to always ensure patients are comfortable talking to me about their concerns, whether it is about their medications or other challenges in their life that they may be facing. I like to engage patients in conversations by always asking them to tell me more and I always ask follow-up questions,” said Shayla. “Knowing a patient’s background and understanding what they are going through lets me provide better personalized care.”

Once Shayla understood Eden’s dilemma regarding not having the required vaccination records in place for her trip, she saw an opportunity to help.

“I had Eden’s files pulled up already to administer her booster shot, so I was able to update her vaccination history in Netcare so she could just download her QR code and have access to her full records.”

This extra step alleviated Eden’s travel concerns – now she could simply scan a QR code to access her complete COVID-19 vaccination history, including the vaccinations she received in Sweden.

“I didn’t ask Shayla to do this – she asked me if she could try and asked if it would make things easier for me,” said Eden. “She could have just gone through the expected motions and given me my shot, but she made an extra effort to treat me as Eden Dell rather than patient #6 of the day.”

Shayla explained that she sees the benefits of developing a more personalized connection with her patients.

“Patients who feel that they are being heard are more forthcoming and more comfortable telling me information; they become more confident in themselves and in me,” she said. “When a patient receives personalized care, it lets them know that they are important, they matter, their emotions and worries are valid, and someone is here to listen to them.”

Shayla outlined some of her strategies for developing a strong professional relationship with patients.

“I listen without interrupting and I always repeat back what I understood so that we both have a clear and mutual understanding of the situation. Afterwards, I always include the patient in the decision-making process,” said Shayla. “I like to talk casually and joke around when appropriate and I keep language simple and clear.”

In Eden’s case, Shayla’s thorough approach and extra effort simplified her travel plans and ensured her records were accurate to support her future health care as well.

“Now that Eden’s records are up-to-date and accurate, when other healthcare professionals are providing her care, they have the accurate vaccination information they need to make more informed decisions,” said Shayla.

Shayla said she had a simple reason for helping Eden.

“I could see that Eden was anxious about not having her full vaccination records; it was the right thing to do and I was in the perfect position to help her.”

Eden explained that her family has a background in health care, so she knows it is more common to hear the negative feedback, as opposed to appreciation for a job well done.

“I just feel that when people go that extra mile, it should be recognized,” she said. “I so appreciated that Shayla took the extra time out of her day to make my life easier.”