Pharmacists' perceptions of geriatric pharmacy practice

Four hundred thirty-two pharmacists from two separate pharmacy organizations associated with geriatric practice were surveyed to determine their perceptions of 51 content areas in terms of their importance for inclusion in pharmacy curricula. The population surveyed was also asked to respond to the question: What do you believe is the most difficult aspect of geriatric pharmacy practice? Demographic and descriptive information was collected for each respondent, for statistical purposes. The most important content areas for inclusion in pharmacy curricula were the pharmacist's responsibility in long-term care, patient compliance, drug interactions, adverse drug reactions, and psychotropic medication use. The most difficult aspects of geriatric pharmacy practice identified included inadequate geriatric knowledge, patient compliance, physician overprescribing, communication with the elderly, and lack of professional and/or financial recognition.