Itekpharma | Guide Organization Antigen Tests in Pharmacy

Antigen testing: what is it?

First of all, it's important to remember what an antigen test is. An antigenic test is a nasopharyngeal swab test. This means that a swab is inserted into the patient's nostril. This is the same procedure as for the RT-PCR test. However, unlike the RT-PCR test, which looks for the virus genome, the antigenic test looks for the proteins it produces. The aim is to determine whether the patient is infected with the virus at the time of the test. The main advantage of antigenic testing is that it provides a diagnostic result within minutes of the test (15-20 minutes). It's on the strength of this quality that the organization of antigen testing in pharmacies has developed.

How does ITEKPHARMA improve the organization of antigen testing in pharmacies?

Following an immediate success, the organization of the antigen test in pharmacies turned out to be more complicated than expected. The high volume of visitors during certain periods of the day quickly led to queues... A situation that should be avoided in a pharmacy during a health crisis. What's more, the pharmacist's availability did not necessarily correspond to the number of people visiting the pharmacy... A simple, effective solution had to be put in place.

Online appointment booking for screening

The first step in improving the organization of antigen testing in pharmacies was to offer pharmacists the possibility of booking appointments online. The tool is very simple. The pharmacist defines the time slots in which he or she is available to carry out the tests. The patient can reserve a time slot online. This ensures that the patient doesn't have to wait for his or her turn to be tested. And the pharmacist knows that he or she will only have one patient to test in this time slot.

Dematerialization of results for better organization of antigen testing in pharmacies

Visit online appointment booking has certainly saved time for pharmacists... But ITEKPHARMA has gone even further! Based on the rich exchanges we have on a daily basis with pharmacy owners, we have dematerialized the antigen test results. Indeed, the administrative processing time for these tests represented a real cost for the pharmacist. By using the initial patient information entered when booking an appointment online, part of the administrative work is already done. All that remains is for the pharmacist to check and complete the test information and results on his online interface. So, in just a few seconds, the pharmacist can finalize the test result online and make it available to the patient on his or her secure patient area.

Why offer online results?

The dematerialization of antigen test results has two main benefits. The first is eliminating paper. With dozens of tests carried out every day in a pharmacy, saving on the printing of results is good for the planet and for the pharmacy's budget. The second benefit is health-related. By offering patients the possibility of retrieving their results online when they are available, we can prevents a potential COVID patient from staying on site. Another close contact is avoided when transmitting the result sheet. Once the test has been carried out, the patient can leave the pharmacy straight away. This time-saving feature is particularly appreciated by patients, who don't have to wait around the pharmacy for long minutes.

ITEKPHARMA continues to innovate for pharmacies, with pharmacists. By setting up an online appointment and dematerializing results, ITEKPHARMA is revolutionizing the way antigen testing is organized in pharmacies. With ITEKPHARMA, the digital serves pharmacists and patients... Because we all need to stand united in the fight against COVID.