Premium
Rural pharmacy not delivering on its health promotion potential
Author(s) -
Sunderland Bruce,
Burrows Suzanne,
Joyce Andrew,
McManus Alexandra,
Maycock Bruce
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
australian journal of rural health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.48
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1440-1584
pISSN - 1038-5282
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1584.2006.00774.x
Subject(s) - pharmacy , pharmacist , medicine , family medicine , promotion (chess) , rural area , rural health , health promotion , nursing , quality (philosophy) , public health , philosophy , pathology , epistemology , politics , political science , law
Abstract Objective: To investigate the level and perceived quality of health promotion advice received from rural pharmacists.Design: Self‐administered written survey on access to and quality of pharmacy services in rural Western Australia completed by rural residents.Setting: Rural pharmacy.Participants: Four hundred and eighty‐three respondents who regularly used a pharmacy.Outcome measures: Items in the survey included frequency of receiving prevention advice and satisfaction ratings on health and pharmacy services.Results: Eighty‐eight per cent of respondents had never discussed exercise or diet with their pharmacist and 65% had never discussed preventing health problems. Receiving good prevention advice predicted satisfaction with health services in general but not satisfaction with pharmacy services.Conclusion: Pharmacies are being underutilised with respect to their capacity to deliver heath prevention advice and ways to capitalise on this potential need to be investigated.