Pharmacists' perceptions of Healthy People goals in economically stressed cities

The objectives of the study were: (a) to determine pharmacists' perceptions of the importance of Healthy People (HP) 2000 objectives for their patients and community; and (b) to analyze pharmacists' perceived perceptions about recent trends in the characteristics of patients. Three hundred one useful questionnaire were collected from pharmacists who either own or manage a pharmacy located in New Jersey's 67 cities eligible for financial assistance. Pharmacists consider health objectives which are directly linked to health care such as preventing, detecting, and controlling hypertension, heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and disabling conditions, to be very important. Pharmacists agree to some extent that their patients are now more willing to accept pharmacy counseling services with their prescriptions than before. In conclusion, pharmacists considered objectives related to preventive services to be the most important for HP 2000 objectives, and health promotion and health protection to be less important. The findings of this study will enhance the understanding of pharmacists' perceptions of community health issues and will be beneficial to attain the objectives of HP 2010.