Welcome | Manager's Checklist
Continual improvement of medical information services:
Recommendations for internal checklist
General
- Have you read the PIPA standards within the last 6 months?
Click here to download the current guidelines
Access
- Is your published contact number (eg BNF & MIMS) correct?
- If you have an automated switchboard, is Medical Information a clear option?
- Are the correct contact companies clear to your customers for products recently transferred to or from you or for co-marketed products?
- Are all parties clear of their responsibilities?
- Do all staff who receive calls know to whom medical information requests should be passed?
- How long does it take for calls to be transferred from your switchboard to your department? (Try calling from outside yourself).
- Is time wasted taking unnecessary details without passing them on?
- Is there appropriate cover during Medical Information Department meetings?
- Are the staff members that cover your switchboard (including lunchtime) sufficiently briefed on your service?
- Is your voice mail/department ansaphone used too much?
- Do you have an option to be transferred to a ‘real’ person?
- Do you check your voice-mail regularly?
- Do you have procedures in place to ensure that all calls to your department are answered?
- Is there a procedure within your department to direct callers as quickly as possible to somebody who can help them?
- If transferring a call, do you pass on information already provided?
- If receiving a transferred call, do you summarise your understanding of what the customer has already told others back to the customer?
Telephone manner
- Are you always willing to help?
- Do you convey this to your customer?
- Do you always look beyond the SmPC if that does not answer the question?
- Do you keep customers holding on longer than necessary?
Knowledge/Competence
- Are all staff handling enquiries sufficiently trained /experienced?
- Do you have access to a medical opinion where required?
- Do you always check the accuracy of your answers, even if you think you know?
- Do you have sufficient resources to enable you to answer enquiries on your products
- Do you have access to your company’s adverse event information?
- Do you have information on the unlicensed use of your products?
Timeliness
- Do you meet the deadlines that you have agreed?
- Do you always return calls, follow-up on faxes, written confirmation and documents within the agreed timescales?
- Do you have procedures in place to prevent missed deadlines?
- Do you ask enquirers how soon the information is needed and inform them of any possible delays?
- Do you check that the way you intend to send the information (eg fax, letter) is acceptable to the enquirer?
