Pharmacists' views on mandatory patient counseling

A questionnaire was sent to a randomly selected sample of Florida pharmacists to obtain information on the acceptability of mandatory patient counseling. The results of the questionnaire demonstrated that most Florida pharmacists who responded to the survey do not favor a patient counseling regulation. Factors that correlated with a desire for mandatory counseling include: an institutional practice site; assistant director and staff pharmacist position; and a perceived higher income for the patients served by pharmacists. These data indicated that if the mandatory method is selected to stimulate pharmacist-patient interaction, the interrelated issues of reimbursement, facility changes, technician support, patient profiles, continuing education programs, and pharmacists' attitudes toward regulated practice will need to be addressed.