Asthma patients' satisfaction with the frequency and content of pharmacist counseling

To assess the level of expectation and satisfaction of patients with asthma regarding the counseling provided by community pharmacists, and to identify the counseling information patients consider important in helping them manage their asthma.

Mailed survey.

208 patients seen in the University of Utah Asthma Clinic for at least 3 months, age 18 years or older, and on at least 1 asthma medication.

Frequency of pharmacist-provided asthma medication counseling, patients' perception of the importance of counseling, and their satisfaction with counseling.

Response rate was 55% (106 of 194 surveys returned). The majority of patients (> 90%) indicated that their community pharmacist "never" or "sometimes" discussed the management of their asthma with them. Frequency of counseling in three predefined areas of asthma education (role of medications, inhaler technique, and prevention of asthma attacks) was 1.91, 1.72, and 1.31, respectively (1 = never, 4 = always). Most patients (76%) considered these areas of counseling to be important for the management of their asthma. Most patients (62%) were "somewhat" to "pretty" satisfied with the type and amount of asthma counseling provided by their pharmacist. Counseling sessions averaged less than 3 minutes. Only 25% of patients would be willing to pay an additional amount for pharmaceutical care.

Self-reported rates of patient counseling concerning asthma medications in the community pharmacy setting are low and adequately address neither the educational needs of patients nor the recommendations of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program.