An assessment of utilization of pharmacists to educate patients on their chronic health conditions

Objectives: The objective of this study is two-fold: (1) to evaluate the utilization of the pharmacist to educate patients on their chronic health conditions and (2) to identify potential barriers to patients’ willingness to speak with their pharmacists about their medications and chronic health conditions.

Methods: Participants at a public downtown health fair held by pharmacy students and faculty were asked to complete a survey.   The survey questions gathered patient demographic information as well as information on type of health insurance, current medical conditions, and the number of medications taken daily.  Participants were also asked if they understood their medications, if they have ever spoken with their pharmacist about their medical condition or immunizations. Data was analyzed to determine correlations between patient characteristics, comprehension of medications used and willingness to speak with their pharmacist about their medications and chronic health conditions. 

Results: 65 participants completed the survey.  The majority of patients were women (60%) aged 41-64 years old (64.7%).  Approximately half of all patients reported having private insurance coverage, while others reported either coverage through Medicare or Medicaid or were without insurance (27.7% and 21.5%, respectively).  The most commonly reported health conditions were hypertension, dyslipidemia and reflux disease. 61.5% of patients reported that they understood their medications and 32.3% and 20% of patients reported that they have spoken with their pharmacists about their medical conditions and immunizations, respectively.  Data will be further analyzed for correlations related to patient utilization of pharmacists.

Conclusion: Utilization of pharmacists to provide patients with education about their medications and chronic medical conditions has been shown to improve overall control of chronic diseases.  We hope to identify barriers to utilization of pharmacists to provide valuable health information to the patients they serve.