Community Pharmacists' Opinions about Having Diagnostic Data Provided with Prescriptions

Objectives. To determine if community pharmacists felt that diagnostic information provided with prescriptions would (1) help provide pharmaceutical care, (2) help reduce dispensing errors, and (3) violate patient confidentiality. Methods. A mail questionnaire was distributed to 200 metropolitan community pharmacists in Arizona. The questionnaire consisted of 14 opinion statements and 6 demographic items. Results. A total of 75 usable questionnaires were returned (a 38.5% response rate). Pharmacists agreed that they were responsible for providing pharmaceutical care and that diagnostic data would help them provide this care. Pharmacists believed that receiving diagnostic data with prescriptions would help reduce dispensing errors, help them counsel patients, and help them abide by state and federal laws. Pharmacists felt that diagnostic data would not violate patient confidentiality. The majority of pharmacists (73.6%) believed that the indication for prescribing a medication was the most important information that could be included on a prescription. Conclusion. Overall, community pharmacists had positive perceptions of the value of diagnostic data being provided with prescriptions. Additional research is needed to evaluate how providing this important information will affect other members of health care teams.