SURVEY OF INPATIENT COUNSELING BY HOSPITAL PHARMACISTS

A survey was conducted to determine the inpatient-counseling practices of hospital pharmacists. A questionnaire about the frequency of inpat ient counseling, barriers to counseling and suggestions for increasing the level of inpatient counseling was mailed to 667 hospital pharmaci sts. Recipients were asked to rate six attitudinal statements about in patient counseling. The response rate was 30%. The largest group of re spondents worked in institutions where discharge counseling was provid ed to specific populations or as needed. Some 67% of respondents repor ted not counseling any patients. Barriers to counseling most often cit ed were lack of time and inadequate staff; facilitators most often cit ed were decentralization and resource availability. The most frequent suggestions for increasing the amount of counseling were making change s that provide more time, having adequate staff to provide counseling, and having a well-designed counseling program in place. Responses abo ut barriers and facilitators varied with practice setting and frequenc y of counseling. On average,pharmacists reported a belief that they ar e the health care professionals most qualified to counsel inpatients a bout medications and that this is their responsibility. More than two thirds of the responding hospital pharmacists reported counseling no p atients; the barrier to counseling most frequently reported was lack o f time, and the facilitator most often reported was decentralization; on average, pharmacists reported that they believed they should have a role in inpatient counseling.