Newswise — A new national consumer survey commissioned by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) has generated important new data highlighting the value for health care consumers of interacting with their pharmacists. A consumer's simply knowing the pharmacist's name correlated strongly with his or her access to information that could avert serious medication risk as well as improve medication outcomes. The survey results and information on the unprecedented American Pharmacists Month outreach will be showcased at a New York briefing on September 30, 2004.
The survey's bottom line is that there is a clear correlation between the strength of the relationship between the consumer and his or her pharmacist and that consumer's being properly informed so as to use medications with lower risk of adverse effects and better health outcomes. The American Pharmacists Month theme is that to "Know Your Medicine, Know Your Pharmacist." APhA's survey reveals the correlation between access to important medication knowledge and a stronger relationship with the pharmacist.
Americans spend billions each year on prescriptions and over-the-counter medications. Many of these dollars are wasted if the medications are used incorrectly. Public policy that supports strong patient-pharmacist relationships stands to improve health outcomes and to save taxpayer dollars.
The survey showed that consumers are taking risks with their medications:
--only 40% of consumers read their medication labels, and
--only a few more than half tell their pharmacist what medications they're taking.
This is dangerous because medications are powerful, and must be used with care to protect against side effects or contraindications. Consumers must tell their pharmacist what medications they take—both prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) products—so the pharmacist can help protect the patient against drug/drug interactions.
Pharmacists can help consumers make the best use of their medication—and decrease the risks of using medications. But most consumers are not yet making the most of their pharmacist. Among the survey findings:
--only one-third of consumers (34%) reported knowing their pharmacist's name, and
--more than 70 percent of the respondents said they never ask their pharmacists questions.
Because knowing the pharmacist's name correlated strongly throughout the survey with consumer understanding of, and access to, the value the pharmacist brings, a key outreach component for American Pharmacists Month and beyond will be encouraging consumers to meet and know their pharmacist. The survey verifies that, as the medication expert on the consumer's health care team, the pharmacist is uniquely positioned to provide critical knowledge to the consumer. However, far too many consumers are either unaware of this resource or do not yet utilize it to the fullest extent.
Many Americans know by name individuals from their physicians and dentists to car mechanics. This is the same society in which nearly every American uses prescription or over-the-counter medications or both. However, for millions of Americans, the ease of purchase and pick-up of these powerful medications may lull far too many consumers into a false belief that, "It can't be risky." Medications alter the body to achieve their effects. Because medications are powerful enough to alter the body, they are powerful enough to be treated with respect—and and part of respecting their power is being forearmed with information on how to use them safely and effectively.
All individuals, and especially individuals with chronic conditions or health risks—must exercise responsibility in their medication use. For example, an individual with one chronic condition is more likely to have multiple (comorbid) conditions. The risks increase, as do the opportunities for more effective—and cost-effective—medication use.
The pharmacist—the consumer's most accessible and knowledgeable health care provider on medication use—should be well-known to the consumer. But an effective relationship with the pharmacist, as with any other important relationship in a consumer's life, begins with familiarity and comfort, and that begins with knowing with whom you are speaking.
Some consumers are using their pharmacist: Consumers who reported using a number of prescription medicines were more likely to know their pharmacist's name, as were seniors or those in poor or very poor health. The good news? Consumers who know their pharmacist were more likely to talk with their pharmacist: The survey showed that consumers who know their pharmacist's name are twice as likely to ask their pharmacist the questions they have.
Further, those who know their pharmacist's name:
--are twice as likely as other respondents to have made an appointment with the pharmacist to discuss their medications,
--more commonly read product labels, and
--more commonly know the main (active) ingredients in their prescription and non-prescription medications, as well as dietary supplements, and herbal products. (Knowing the main ingredients is a key to avoiding accidental overdose of an active ingredient contained in multiple medications, or conflicts between and among the active ingredients.)
American Pharmacists Month is a great opportunity for consumers to improve their medication use—and to partner with their pharmacist to do so. As a consumer you should know your medicine: what is the name of the medication, why are you taking it, and how it might make you feel. You should also know your pharmacist—your pharmacist can help you manage your use of prescription and over-the-counter medications.
An example of a patient population that concerns most Americans is children. Children are not little adults, and their medication use must be managed accordingly. The survey showed that, if parents and other caregivers simply knew the pharmacist's name, they asked the pharmacist questions about giving medications to the child 66 percent of the time—a significant jump from the only 40 percent who asked, if they did not know the pharmacist's name. Knowing the pharmacist's name also correlated strongly with these consumers' accessing that pharmacist's advice on the correct dose of medicine for the child, the proper OTC medicine for the child's symptoms, the best way to administer particular medications to children, and when to call the physician. Other populations, including aging Americans stand to benefit equally strongly from access to the pharmacist's expertise.
The goal of American Pharmacists Month is to strongly encourage these consumer-pharmacist interactions around both prescription and OTC medications. The survey data show that these interactions are easier when the partners (the consumer and the pharmacist) introduce themselves to one another and know one another by name.
About the New Observance " American Pharmacists Month
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) will launch the first-ever American Pharmacists Month in October 2004. Expanding from the long-standing National Pharmacy Week, established in 1925, the new month-long observance represents the Association's effort to exponentially increase healthcare consumers' understanding of the pharmacist's role in improving medication use and advancing patient care. Johnson & Johnson-Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals and McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals serve as the Founding National Sponsors of American Pharmacists Month.
To help consumers know their medicine, APhA recommends talking to your pharmacist. American Pharmacists Month includes three nationwide opportunities for consumers to talk to a pharmacist via a national toll-free hotline on October 5, 12, and 19, 2004. The toll-free number for the hotline is 1-877-2 MY MEDS. Pharmacists will be available to answer healthcare consumers' questions regarding their medications, and to encourage consumers to better utilize the medication expert on their healthcare team " their local pharmacist.
About the Survey
The "Know Your Medicine / Know Your Pharmacist" survey was commissioned by the American Pharmacists Association and conducted in June 2004 by Wilson Rx (Wilson Health Information, LLC). Source: WilsonRxTM Pharmacy Survey, ©2004 Wilson Health Information, LLC, New Hope, PA. For information about WilsonRx, contact [email protected] or visit http://www.WilsonRx.com.)
Survey Objective: To collect and report information about how consumers interact with and perceive their pharmacist and how their relationship with the pharmacists impacts their knowledge of their health, medicines, and medical treatments.
Survey Sample: 1,260 qualified respondents from a nationally representative panel of 2,304 households (55% response rate).
Statistical Confidence: +/- 2.0 percent.
The American Pharmacists Association is dedicated to improving medication use and advancing patient care. Founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, APhA is the first-established and largest professional association of pharmacists in the United States. Our more than 50,000 members include pharmacists, scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and others interested in advancing the profession.
APhA's World Wide Web Site: http://www.aphanet.org
APhA's Consumer Web Site: http://www.pharmacyandyou.org
APhA Resources for Pharmacy Professionals: http://www.pharmacist.com
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