Patients Like Pharmacies That Give Preventive Care

Almost half of Americans over the age of 40 would transfer their prescriptions to a pharmacy that provides preventive care services and would prefer to pay cash for those services. They also highly value local pharmacies that give advice about medication interactions and side effects and quick over-the-counter treatments.

Those are the findings of a survey commissioned by the cloud-based services company, PrescribeWellness, which looked at older Americans’ 2018 health goals and the services that they value most from their community pharmacy.

Survey findings also reveal that weight loss is a top priority for older Americans with 42% of the respondents claiming that they are willing to consult their local pharmacist for guidance on losing weight.

Related article: Wellness Visits/Pharmacists: Perfect Together

The “Shortcut to Health” survey conducted by Propeller Insights polled more than 1,000 adults over age 40 in December 2017. The results were weighted to the U.S. census for age, gender, region and income.

Medication Culture

Twenty-one percent of survey respondents say they take more than five medications and 41% take between two and five. Thirty-five percent report that they visit multiple doctors.

Although 92% trust that their doctor is aware of all medications they are taking, 30% say that they do not discuss possible drug interactions with their physician when they are prescribed a new drug.

Sixty-seven percent say that they prefer to discuss new prescriptions with their pharmacists because the pharmacist is better at explaining side effects and has more time to spend with them.

Related article: Why consumers trust pharmacists

Al Babbington, CEO of PrescribeWellness, tells Drug Topics, “2018 will prove to be that magical moment, the tipping point, where the majority of consumers are taking a proactive approach to their health.”

Babbington says that consumers are asking questions about their medications, preventive health care options, diet, exercise, and other chronic care management needs. 

“Local access and a trusted relationship make pharmacies the preferred choice for these services.  Every day we are seeing more and more pharmacies expand their services to accommodate this pent-up demand," Babbington says.