EDUCATION OF RURAL-COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS TO PROVIDE NUTRITION INFORMATION

Community pharmacists are a source of nutrition information to their c ustomers. Two hundred seventy-two pharmacists with mailing addresses i n rural communities of Washington State were surveyed regarding the nu trition services they provide and the adequacy of their nutrition educ ation to prepare them for providing these services. Seventy percent of pharmacists worked in towns with five or fewer pharmacies. Ninety-eig ht percent indicated they were providing nutrition information to thei r community. However, only 20 percent indicated taking a nutrition cou rse during their pharmacy degree program. The most frequently asked qu estions concern vitamin-mineral supplements/formulas (96 percent), liq uid formulas (82 percent), and weight loss. Community pharmacists rely on pharmacy journals (65 percent), package inserts (64 percent) and p harmacy texts (58 percent) to answer their customers' nutrition questi ons. Seventy eight percent of respondents believe that more nutrition education should be incorporated into the pharmacy curriculum.