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During this time of crisis, it’s incredibly important to do everything you can to stay safe. If you’re in need of essential prescriptions, your pharmacy may offer prescription delivery straight to your home.
To say that Americans are facing trying times right now is an understatement. The COVID–19 pandemic has left many people worried, anxious, and afraid, both for their own health and safety and their ability to access necessities. This is especially true for people who take prescribed medications that must be refilled on a regular basis.
Some patients worry about having prescriptions refilled in the first place. Others might worry about the risk of transmission associated with leaving the house to pick up a prescription instead. Prescription delivery makes this process easier while also carrying these important benefits.
1. Lower Your COVID-19 Risk
Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) currently recommend that people stay home and self-isolate. There’s a good reason for this: COVID-19 needs contact in order to spread.
But contact doesn’t necessarily have to be direct; it can be indirect, too. This includes touching a surface (e.g., a doorknob) previously touched by someone infected with the virus. This is referred to as “community spread.”
Of course, disinfection does help – but you can only control your own environment and your person. And there’s evidence to show that coronavirus germs might live on surfaces for far longer than first expected.
Ultimately, the fewer direct or indirect connections you make, the lower the risk you will encounter COVID-19. This is why health professionals recommend limiting your risk by staying indoors, avoiding other people (social distancing) and wearing gloves or masks in the first place.
Having your medications delivered eliminates a significant number of contact points, right from the pharmacy door all the way to sick people you might meet along the way. You need only encounter another person when you accept your prescription from the delivery driver – and most take advanced precautions to keep you safe.
2. Greater Convenience
You live a busy life – or maybe you’re just busy healing at home. Prescription delivery is effective, efficient, and incredibly convenient. Instead of having to find the time to run out for your medications, you can simply telephone the pharmacy and ask them to deliver to your door instead.
Working? That’s okay – most pharmacies can deliver to your office or place of business, instead. This might be especially beneficial to you if you are an essential worker who simply cannot be at home for delivery times right now.
Some pharmacies offer extended delivery options; this can be even more convenient. Ask about including add on over-the-counter drugs or medical supplies, such as Aspirin, Tylenol, or wound care supplies. You may be able to have these delivered alongside your usual prescription medications.
3. Easier to Rest and Heal
Are you already sick with something other than coronavirus? Perhaps you struggle with a chronic condition or are recovering from surgery. Prescription delivery lets you stay at home and rest, rather than struggling to find a way to get to the pharmacy just to pick them up. It also limits:
- Stress
- Exposure to other illnesses (like cold or flu)
- Even helps prevent the risk of infections other than COVID-19
The reality is that when we’re sick or recovering, the best thing we can do is remain at home and rest. That’s true both in the middle of a global pandemic and on a very normal, average day!
4. Schedule Prescription Delivery
Do you often find yourself forgetting to refill or pick up medications? You might be surprised to learn how very normal this is! In fact, it’s one of the most common reasons for medication noncompliance (patients neglecting to take their medication as prescribed) in America today.
Usually, people don’t mean to forget about refills – it’s an unintentional result of having an incredibly busy life. But that doesn’t help much when a patient goes to take their nightly medication and realizes they don’t have any left. When this happens, the individual may have to wait days or even skip doses – especially in a pandemic.
Your pharmacy can fix this for you by scheduling medication deliveries when they’re needed most. If you have a weekly, monthly, or even quarterly refill on file, they can be delivered either on or just before the due date. Your prescriptions show up right when you need them and you’re never at risk of going without.
5. Refill Over the Phone
Hate waiting at the pharmacy when they’re busy? You’ll love prescription delivery! In most cases, all you have to do is call the pharmacy by phone and ask them to fill your prescription again. New initiatives may even allow your pharmacy to provide you with temporary renewals if you don’t have anything on file.
If you’re worried about filling prescriptions over the phone – maybe you feel as if they won’t get enough attention or can’t ask questions – rest assured this simply isn’t the case. You’re still welcomed and encouraged to speak with the pharmacist about any aspect of your treatment, either when you order a refill or at any point in the future.
However, there is one exception we must note. If you’re about to start taking a new medication with a specific delivery format (e.g., insulin), you might need to drop by for the first fill. This just allows the pharmacist to teach you how to use your medication safely and reliably – but you can still schedule delivery afterward.
6. Safer Medication Transport
We’ve all picked something up from a store only to toss it in the dash or backseat on the way home. This can happen with medications, too, and when it does, the repercussions can be very serious. For example:
- Injectable insulin must be kept refrigerated; if it becomes too warm, the drug itself degrades and loses effect.
- Nitroglycerin, which is often prescribed for blood pressure issues and angina, can explode if left in a vehicle dash or anytime it becomes too hot.
- Even oxygen supplies – e.g., tanks and lines – are risky to forget in the car because they can explode.
There is even a risk of having your medications stolen if you leave them in the dash and someone breaks into your car. In some cases, such as with regard to narcotic prescriptions like opiates, getting a refill after this happens can be very challenging.
Conclusion
Prescription delivery eliminates the risk of forgetting your medications, full stop. They’re delivered to your door directly into your hands. Plus, the vehicle driven is a trained professional who understands safe transport. The risk of degradation, theft, loss, or even dangerous hazards such as fire is greatly reduced.
