Healthy People 2020: assessment of pharmacists' priorities

The purpose of this study was to assess perceptions of pharmacy educators on the priorities and roles of pharmacists in meeting the Healthy People 2020 objectives.

Cross-sectional, qualitative online national survey.

A comprehensive literature review identified documented roles and responsibilities of pharmacists in addressing the 42 topic areas in Healthy People 2020. From this, a 14-item survey was developed to identify priorities of categories to improve the health of the nation and importance of the pharmacist role to achieve the objectives. The survey was sent electronically to the members of the Public Health Special Interest Group of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy in May and June 2014.

Participants identified the following Healthy People 2020 categories as most important in improving the health of the nation: chronic diseases, health care services, lifestyle, prevention/well-being, and environmental factors. They identified the following Healthy People 2020 categories as possessing the most important roles for pharmacists in working to improve the health of the nation: chronic diseases, health care services, lifestyle, prevention/well-being, and infectious disease.

There exists great congruence between top categories of importance and those that the pharmacist can impact to improve the health of the nation. The results of this study can guide efforts to educate and activate pharmacists as interprofessional team members improving health locally and globally.