Primary Care Provider Perceptions of Pharmacist Services in an Urban, Safety Net Health System

While pharmacists have provided services in a multidisciplinary, primary care setting for decades, few publications have yet to evaluate providers’ impressions of- these services. An anonymous 14-item survey distributed to nonresident primary care providers aimed to identify clinical pharmacist services that are most and least helpful to primary care providers, identify barriers to pharmacy services, and develop recommendations to improve pharmacy services in primary care. The most important pharmacist contribution identified by providers is medication management, whereas the least important contributions are case conference, panel management, quality improvement, and transition of care. The primary reasons for referrals to pharmacists included inadequately controlled chronic diseases, poor or questionable adherence, longer visits for more in-depth discussion, and complex regimen requiring frequent monitoring or titration. Providers favored pharmacists working in direct patient care versus indirect patient care activities. Although many providers perceived no barriers to pharmacist service access, pharmacists’ presence and visibility were 2 barriers identified. Most providers preferred comprehensive to disease-specific medication management.