Not just about pills: Findings from a national survey of pharmacists to understand their views on addressing social determinants of health
Objective: We evaluated community pharmacists' perspectives on addressing social determinants of health for their patients in the United States. Methods: From 9/2022—1/2023, we conducted a national, online survey of 578 pharmacists to evaluate their perspectives on social barriers affecting the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Preventive Medicine Reports |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335525000300 |
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| author | Katherine A. Meehan Austin R. Waters Mary Wangen Olufeyisayo O. Odebunmi Renée M Ferrari Macary W. Marciniak Alison T. Brenner Stephanie B. Wheeler Parth D. Shah |
| author_facet | Katherine A. Meehan Austin R. Waters Mary Wangen Olufeyisayo O. Odebunmi Renée M Ferrari Macary W. Marciniak Alison T. Brenner Stephanie B. Wheeler Parth D. Shah |
| author_sort | Katherine A. Meehan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: We evaluated community pharmacists' perspectives on addressing social determinants of health for their patients in the United States. Methods: From 9/2022—1/2023, we conducted a national, online survey of 578 pharmacists to evaluate their perspectives on social barriers affecting their patients, their pharmacy staff's ability to address these social barriers, and resources available or needed to address barriers. Results: Healthcare access and quality was perceived as the most addressable social barrier (59 %), while education (24 %) and neighborhood/built environment were perceived as the least addressable (14 %). Staff capacity to address social needs was significantly associated with increases in the pharmacy's ability to address social determinants of health across all five domains. Pharmacists were more likely to report adequate staff capacity if they practiced in independent community pharmacies. Conclusions: Pharmacists commonly address social determinants of health of their patients, but most lack adequate staff capacity to address patient social barriers. Pharmacies with capacity can only address a portion of the social needs of their patient population. Greater access to resources and staffing support are needed to improve pharmacy's role in addressing patient unmet social needs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-85924438835f4399b4a8f3a4d1d3b20d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2211-3355 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Preventive Medicine Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-85924438835f4399b4a8f3a4d1d3b20d2025-02-04T04:10:24ZengElsevierPreventive Medicine Reports2211-33552025-03-0151102991Not just about pills: Findings from a national survey of pharmacists to understand their views on addressing social determinants of healthKatherine A. Meehan0Austin R. Waters1Mary Wangen2Olufeyisayo O. Odebunmi3Renée M Ferrari4Macary W. Marciniak5Alison T. Brenner6Stephanie B. Wheeler7Parth D. Shah8Department of Pharmacy, University of Washington School of Pharmacy, Seattle, WA, USADepartment of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USACenter for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USADepartment of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USADepartment of Pharmacy, University of Washington School of Pharmacy, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States; Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States; Department of Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesDivision of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USADepartment of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesDepartment of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesHutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States; Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States; Corresponding author at: Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, M/S: M3-B232, Seattle, WA 98109, United States.Objective: We evaluated community pharmacists' perspectives on addressing social determinants of health for their patients in the United States. Methods: From 9/2022—1/2023, we conducted a national, online survey of 578 pharmacists to evaluate their perspectives on social barriers affecting their patients, their pharmacy staff's ability to address these social barriers, and resources available or needed to address barriers. Results: Healthcare access and quality was perceived as the most addressable social barrier (59 %), while education (24 %) and neighborhood/built environment were perceived as the least addressable (14 %). Staff capacity to address social needs was significantly associated with increases in the pharmacy's ability to address social determinants of health across all five domains. Pharmacists were more likely to report adequate staff capacity if they practiced in independent community pharmacies. Conclusions: Pharmacists commonly address social determinants of health of their patients, but most lack adequate staff capacity to address patient social barriers. Pharmacies with capacity can only address a portion of the social needs of their patient population. Greater access to resources and staffing support are needed to improve pharmacy's role in addressing patient unmet social needs.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335525000300PharmacyPharmacistSocial Determinants of HealthSocial BarriersSocial Care |
| spellingShingle | Katherine A. Meehan Austin R. Waters Mary Wangen Olufeyisayo O. Odebunmi Renée M Ferrari Macary W. Marciniak Alison T. Brenner Stephanie B. Wheeler Parth D. Shah Not just about pills: Findings from a national survey of pharmacists to understand their views on addressing social determinants of health Preventive Medicine Reports Pharmacy Pharmacist Social Determinants of Health Social Barriers Social Care |
| title | Not just about pills: Findings from a national survey of pharmacists to understand their views on addressing social determinants of health |
| title_full | Not just about pills: Findings from a national survey of pharmacists to understand their views on addressing social determinants of health |
| title_fullStr | Not just about pills: Findings from a national survey of pharmacists to understand their views on addressing social determinants of health |
| title_full_unstemmed | Not just about pills: Findings from a national survey of pharmacists to understand their views on addressing social determinants of health |
| title_short | Not just about pills: Findings from a national survey of pharmacists to understand their views on addressing social determinants of health |
| title_sort | not just about pills findings from a national survey of pharmacists to understand their views on addressing social determinants of health |
| topic | Pharmacy Pharmacist Social Determinants of Health Social Barriers Social Care |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335525000300 |
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