Contents
Guest Commentary
Peer-Reviewed Articles Pharmacists' Opinions Following Levonorgestrel
(Plan B) Labeling
Change from Prescription-Only to Over-the-Counter
Heather P. Whitley and Krystal L. Moorman
Barriers to Nonprescription Counseling: A Secret Shopper Learning Assignment
Stefanie Ferreri
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The Importance of Self-Care in Pharmaceutical Education
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Alabama Pharmacists' Attitudes Regarding a Third Class of Drugs Melissa Pharo, PharmD, Walgreens Pharmacies, Birmingham, AL
Abstract
Objective: To assess the attitudes of Alabama pharmacists regarding the concept of a third class of drugs described as pharmacist-prescribed.
Methods: An attitudinal survey of Alabama pharmacists attending continuing educational programs was conducted in spring of 2005. Using anonymous responses based on a Likert-type scale, the pharmacists completed a self-administered questionnaire designed to achieve the research objectives.
Results: A total of 249 surveys was collected and analyzed. Most pharmacists (77.8%) agreed that there is a need for a pharmacist-prescribed class of medications and 83.9% agreed that patients would benefit from having access to medications that are pharmacist-prescribed. A majority of respondents (63.7%) indicated that their respective workplace settings could accommodate this service to their patients. An encouraging number of pharmacists (91.1%) indicated that they were willing to take the necessary steps (i.e., continuing education, reviewing current literature, etc.) to safely and effectively provide this service to patients. Pharmacists agreed that some over-the-counter and prescription medications should be included in a pharmacist-prescribed third class of drugs.
Conclusion: The majority of respondents expressed positive attitudes regarding the need for and benefits of a third class of drugs.
Keywords: pharmacy class, pharmacist prescribed, third class of drugs
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Pharmacists' Opinions Following Levonorgestrel (Plan B) Labeling Heather P. Whitley, PharmD, BCPS, CDE, Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy and The University of Alabama School of Medicine, Tuscaloosa, AL Krystal L. Moorman, PharmD, Intermountain Medical Center, Department of Pharmacy, Murray, UT
Background: Plan B, an emergency contraceptive (EC), has been a prescription-only
product in the United States since 1999. In 2006 it became the first over-the-counter
(OTC) EC approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This change places the
responsibility of patient education upon the community pharmacist. Objective:
To determine pharmacists' opinions about the labeling change of Plan B. Other
objectives include determining pharmacists' intentions to counsel patients and
anticipated changes in sales and social issues.
Methods: A link to an online survey concerning dispensing practices, attitudes
toward change in status, and plans for counseling was emailed to 312 community
pharmacists in the state of Alabama.
Results: Sixty-five percent of the community pharmacists disagreed with the
change in status, mostly due to concerns of use in place of regular birth control,
safety, and difficulty providing counseling. The majority will not stock the
OTC product in the future because of the potential for product misuse. Over
20% believe not every patient should be counseled. The majority surveyed anticipated
no increase in sales, an increased rate of unprotected sex and STD transmission,
and a decrease in condom and oral contraceptive use.
Conclusion: Results indicate the majority of respondents do not agree with
the labeling change and many do not plan on counseling every patient prior to
its sale. More EC education may be desired to improve pharmacists' knowledge
bases and ensure appropriate counseling. Larger national studies are still needed.
Key words: emergency contraception, levonorgestrel, Plan B, pharmacists, over-the-counter
(OTC)
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Barriers to Nonprescription Counseling: A Secret Shopper Learning Assignment
Stefanie Ferreri, PharmD, CDE, FAPhA, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmacy Practice and Experiential Education, Chapel Hill, NC
Objective: To assess whether a secret shopper learning assignment in a self-care and nonprescription medication course improves student understanding of barriers to nonprescription counseling.
Methods: Students self-selected community pharmacies to visit and play the role of a secret shopper. Following the pharmacy visit, each student wrote an essay describing their experience.
Results: Based on a review of 245 student essays, the most common barriers to nonprescription counseling were store layout and the attentiveness of the pharmacist. Students witnessed that they could see pharmacy personnel from the nonprescription medication aisle 57% of the time, but were offered assistance in selecting a product only 40% of the time. On average it took 6 minutes to receive an offer of assistance. Pharmacists who were more attentive and observant from their dispensing tasks were more likely to counsel the students than those who did not.
Conclusion: Following this experience, pharmacy students were able to articulate common barriers to nonprescription counseling and reflect on ways to overcome these barriers in order to enhance the pharmacist's role in assisting patients in the self-care area.
Key words: nonprescription, over-the-counter, pharmacy students, secret shopper, self-care
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W. Steven Pray, PhD, R.Ph., Bernhardt Professor of Pharmaceutics, Non-prescription
Drug Products, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, School of Pharmacy, Southwestern
Oklahoma State University, OK
Valerie Prince, PharmD, FAPhA, BCPS, Assistant Professor Pharmacy Practice,
Samford University, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Birmingham, AL
Change
from Prescription-Only to Over-the-Counter
Abstract
Abstract
Jul 2008