Challenges in Creating a Sustainable Pharmacy Workforce in Rural Areas | ASHP Midyear

In the United States, pharmacy deserts have become an increasingly significant issue due to the continued closure of retail pharmacies. From 2010 to 2020, a recent study found that nearly 30% of all retail pharmacies operating in the country during that period had closed their doors by 2021.¹ And of those, independent pharmacies faced a greater risk for closure compared to chain pharmacies.

Pharmacy deserts, which are defined as areas where residents have to travel farther to get to the closest pharmacy, are particularly prominent in rural areas of the country. According to one analysis, 2177 rural towns with populations between 500 and 5000 did not have access to a pharmacy within 10 miles.² Lack of access to a pharmacy can lead to lower medication adherence and poor health outcomes.

At the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists 2024 Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition, held December 8 to 12 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Drug Topics sat down with Brittany Norton, PharmD, director of ambulatory care at Sutter Health, to discuss the biggest challenges in creating a sustainable pharmacy workforce in a rural community, and actionable tips for pharmacists who are facing that challenge.

“I think the biggest challenge is recruitment and retention,” Norton said. “It’s also difficult to find people with the right expertise that you’re looking for. Burnout [is] also [a challenge]. A lot of time, people may want to take a vacation and they can’t. You may burn your staff out because you rely on them so heavily.”

Follow along with our coverage of the 2024 ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition here.

References

1. Guadamuz JS, Alexander GC, Kanter GP, et al. More US pharmacies closed than opened in 2018–21; independent pharmacies, those in Black, Latinx communities most at risk. Health Affairs. 2024;43(12):1703-1711. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2024.00192

2. Kwan N. The Impact of Pharmacy Deserts. US Pharm. 2024;49(4):32-36. https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/the-impact-of-pharmacy-deserts