Ohio pharmacists' conceptual views and experiences regarding patient counseling

The purpose of this study was to investigate: 1. pharmacists' conceptual views of counseling and 2. pharmacists' experiences with patient counseling. A systematic random sample of 554 Ohio pharmacists was mailed the pretested study questionnaire. Data were analyzed using MANOVA, ANOVA, and descriptive statistics. Forty-six percent of the pharmacists provided usable responses. Of these, 34% practiced in chain pharmacies and 63% were staff pharmacists, which is comparable to national estimates. The results showed that pharmacists view counseling as the provision of advice which is a reasoned opinion of the pharmacist, subjective, and patient-oriented. Pharmacists reportedly use patient desire for counseling and the type of medication to determine the amount and content of counseling they give their patients. Most respondents prefer to give both verbal and written information to their patients. Inefficient processes for dispensing prescriptions are the greatest barriers to counseling, while efficient processes contribute the most to making it easier.