PHARMACISTS PERCEPTIONS OF PATIENTS NEEDS FOR COUNSELING

Pharmacists in Wisconsin were surveyed about their assessment of patie nts' needs for medication counseling and factors that hinder or facili tate counseling.Pharmacists attending regional meetings for a state bo ard of pharmacy project completed the survey. The questionnaire was pr etested on pharmacists from one area and refined; the study population then included pharmacists from all areas except this one. Questions w ere asked about criteria for determining the amount and content of ora l counseling, the importance of oral versus written counseling, and fa ctors that impede or facilitate counseling. Responses concerning crite ria, barriers, and facilitators were grouped by two judges trained in content analysis. Information was collected about years spent in pract ice, counselor role orientation (scored on responses to eight statemen ts), type of practice setting and position, and use of technicians and daily prescription volume in that setting. Of 708 pharmacists asked t o complete the survey 697 (98%) provided usable responses. Seventy per cent of respondents were in community practice; 63% were managing phar macists; 74% of their practice sites used technicians, and 40% average d 76-150 prescriptions per day. Patient motivation was the most freque ntly cited determinant of the amount and type of counseling, followed by type of medication, patient abilities, and time available for couns eling. Sixty-one percent of respondents indicated that it was importan t to give both oral and written counseling. Pharmacists in different p ractice settings and positions reported different barriers to and faci litators of counseling. Pharmacists in this survey said patient-orient ed criteria and type of medication determined the amount and content o f counseling given to patients. They said it was important to provide both oral and written counseling.