Abstract: SA-PO294
Barriers and Facilitators of Pharmacist-Led Programs: Insights from Survey Among Providers
Session Information
- Pharmacology: Kinetics, Genomics, Medication-Related Problems
November 04, 2023 | Location: Exhibit Hall, Pennsylvania Convention Center
Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: Pharmacology (PharmacoKinetics, -Dynamics, -Genomics)
- 2000 Pharmacology (PharmacoKinetics, -Dynamics, -Genomics)
Authors
- Yamada, Masaaki, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, United States
- Jalal, Diana I., Iowa City VA Medical Center, Iowa City, Iowa, United States
Background
Hypertension is a leading cause of cardiovascular death in the United States (US). Despite current guidelines emphasizing strict blood pressure control, over half of the US population fails to reach the recommended goal. Clinical pharmacists can play a crucial role in a team-based approach to overcome these challenges. However, our previous survey found that pharmacists are underutilized despite positive attitudes among providers. To understand the barriers and facilitators of implementing pharmacist-led programs, we conducted a thematic analysis of survey data from providers.
Methods
To gain insights into the utilization of pharmacists, we conducted a survey among providers at a single academic institution and its affiliated Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital where the pharmacist-led medication management is routinely available. We conducted sentiment and thematic analyses of providers’ narrative comments to better understand their attitudes and experiences with the utilization of pharmacists.
Results
The survey response rate was 37% (153 of 413 surveyed providers), with 36 providers (24%) providing comments. The majority of the providers (n=27, 75%) were Primary Care (PC) providers, with half of them (n=15, 50%) based in the VA practice. In the sentiment analysis, we observed more positive attitudes among PC APPs (n=5 of 8, 63%) compared to PC clinicians (n=7 of 19, 37%). Among VA PC clinicians (n=4), concerns were expressed. The thematic analysis results, summarized in Fig 1, highlight a lack of awareness among providers potentially leading to underutilization of pharmacists. However, there were other providers who expressed the value of pharmacists and held positive perceptions, likely based on their former experiences.
Conclusion
The lack of awareness among providers is a major barrier to implementing pharmacist-led programs.