People placing more trust in pharmacists for care management
Patients had a high level of trust in pharmacists to complete most activities, including prescribing medications and providing counseling.
Tom Werner/Getty Images
Staffing shortages among healthcare providers are having numerous downstream effects on everything from patient care to reimbursement and thinning margins. But they're also causing a shift in public perception: More people now trust pharmacists to play a larger role in their care management, according to new research from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City and Express Scripts Pharmacy.
With more than half (51.8%) of the U.S. population experiencing at least one chronic condition, and one-quarter suffering from multiple chronic conditions, prescription medications are often the first line of defense to help patients manage these conditions, the report found.
In the period from 2015–2018, nearly one-half of the U.S. population was using at least one prescription drug, nearly one-quarter (21.4%) were using three or more, and over 10% were using five or more prescription drugs.
All of that is putting pharmacists in the spotlight – along with the rise of chronic disease, increased medication use and shifts to value-based payment models.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
When pharmacists were asked if they had the interest and confidence to meet the needs of physicians and patients in the future of pharmacy, more than 75% agree or strongly agree with their ability to be a resource for drug interactions, medication management and pharmaceutical therapy.
Patient trust in pharmacists is hitting a new high. Patient respondents had a high to moderate level of trust in pharmacists to complete most activities, including prescribing medications (40.5% high trust, 32.4% moderate trust), conducting health-and-wellness screenings (37.5% vs. 42.1%), and providing disease-specific counseling (33.1% vs. 44%). More than 79% of patient respondents and 55% of provider respondents found pharmacists to be a reliable source of general health information beyond general medication questions.
When providers were asked whether they trusted pharmacists to perform specific activities for patients with chronic conditions, providers noted a high level of trust for traditional pharmacist tasks, with high to moderate trust often exceeding 90%. For more direct patient care tasks, providers' level of trust declined from slightly above to slightly below 50%.
However, for those providers who have prior experience collaborating with pharmacists on multidisciplinary teams, the level of trust increased significantly for providing additional health support and disease-specific counseling or for prescribing medications, both acute and chronic.
About 77% of patient respondents considered pharmacists an integral member of the care team, while about 76% said they'd be very or extremely comfortable with pharmacists checking their vitals.
Meanwhile, pharmacists expect to take on more direct patient care responsibilities in the future, with more than 80% saying they'll assume more patient counseling duties and take more of a role in preventive care measures.
THE LARGER TREND
In a recent Gallup poll, pharmacists were deemed the fourth most honest and ethical profession in the country by respondents. At 63%, pharmacists trailed only grade-school teachers (64%), medical doctors (67%) and nurses (81%). Nurses were the top-ranked profession for the 20th year in a row.
Only two other professions snagged 50% or more: police officers (53%) and day care providers (50%).
Gallup attributes the numbers to their public service at the beginning of the pandemic. Their ratings are down between eight to 11 points this year, essentially returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com
