Primary Care Provider Perceptions of Pharmacist Services in an Urban, Safety Net Health System

Abstract

While pharmacists have provided services in a multidisciplinary, primary care setting for decades, few publications have yet to evaluate providers’ impressions of- these services. An anonymous 14-item survey distributed to nonresident primary care providers aimed to identify clinical pharmacist services that are most and least helpful to primary care providers, identify barriers to pharmacy services, and develop recommendations to improve pharmacy services in primary care. The most important pharmacist contribution identified by providers is medication management, whereas the least important contributions are case conference, panel management, quality improvement, and transition of care. The primary reasons for referrals to pharmacists included inadequately controlled chronic diseases, poor or questionable adherence, longer visits for more in-depth discussion, and complex regimen requiring frequent monitoring or titration. Providers favored pharmacists working in direct patient care versus indirect patient care activities. Although many providers perceived no barriers to pharmacist service access, pharmacists’ presence and visibility were 2 barriers identified. Most providers preferred comprehensive to disease-specific medication management.

Evaluating the primary care clinical pharmacist visit transition to telehealth during the COVID‐19 pandemic by comparing medication related problems from telehealth visits and in‐person visits

“…Patients are seen by the primary care clinical pharmacist, MRPs are identified and resolved, and then scheduled for follow up with the pharmacist for on‐going monitoring and medication titration, with the objective of meeting chronic disease patient‐centered goals. All patients seen by primary care pharmacists are over the age of 18 and are referred to primary care pharmacist visits generally because they have one or more uncontrolled chronic conditions, are on treatments that require close monitoring, have complicated medication regimens, or have difficulty understanding or taking their medications 23 …”

“…All patients seen by primary care pharmacists are over the age of 18 and are referred to primary care pharmacist visits generally because they have one or more uncontrolled chronic conditions, are on treatments that require close monitoring, have complicated medication regimens, or have difficulty understanding or taking their medications. 23 …”