Pharmacists' perceptions of patients' needs for counseling

Pharmacists in Wisconsin were surveyed about their assessment of patients' needs for medication counseling and factors that hinder or facilitate counseling. Pharmacists attending regional meetings for a state board of pharmacy project completed the survey. The questionnaire was pretested on pharmacists from one area and refined; the study population then included pharmacists from all areas except this one. Questions were asked about criteria for determining the amount and content of oral counseling, the importance of oral versus written counseling, and factors that impede or facilitate counseling. Responses concerning criteria, barriers, and facilitators were grouped by two judges trained in content analysis. Information was collected about years spent in practice, counselor role orientation (scored on responses to eight statements), type of practice setting and position, and use of technicians and daily prescription volume in that setting. Of 708 pharmacists asked to complete the survey 697 (98%) provided usable responses. Seventy percent of respondents were in community practice; 63% were managing pharmacists; 74% of their practice sites used technicians, and 40% averaged 76-150 prescriptions per day. Patient motivation was the most frequently cited determinant of the amount and type of counseling, followed by type of medication, patient abilities, and time available for counseling. Sixty-one percent of respondents indicated that it was important to give both oral and written counseling. Pharmacists in different practice settings and positions reported different barriers to and facilitators of counseling. Pharmacists in this survey said patient-oriented criteria and type of medication determined the amount and content of counseling given to patients. They said it was important to provide both oral and written counseling.