Physician attitudes toward collaborative agreements with pharmacists and their expectations of community pharmacists' responsibilities in West Virginia.

OBJECTIVES

To (1) investigate physicians' expectations about community pharmacist's roles and physician attitudes toward collaborative agreements with community pharmacists in West Virginia and (2) determine physicians' perceptions of pharmacists providing medication therapy management (MTM) services.

METHODS

A mail survey was conducted for a random sample of 500 physicians practicing in West Virginia. Survey items measured the physicians' perceptions about the roles of pharmacists, their level of comfort with pharmacists providing certain MTM services, and their attitudes toward a collaborative agreement with pharmacists.

RESULTS

102 responses were received, yielding a response rate of 22.1%; 60% of the physicians had a favorable attitude toward supporting collaborative agreement with pharmacists. Physicians were more comfortable with certain areas of MTM services, such as general drug education and the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, and they expected pharmacists to identify medication errors and educate the patients about the safe and appropriate use of medications.

CONCLUSION

Of the physician respondents, 60% reported a favorable attitude toward collaborative practice agreements, but their attitude toward pharmacists' role in collaborative drug therapy management and pharmacists providing MTM services were not that favorable. Participating physicians may not have consistent expectations regarding pharmacists providing patient care.