Assessing Student Pharmacist Impact on Patient Over-the-Counter Medication Selection

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the financial and clinical outcomes of an over-the-counter (OTC) medication consultation performed by doctorate of pharmacy student pharmacists in a community pharmacy. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Independent and chain community pharmacy locations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Participants: Fourth professional year (PY4) advanced experiential student pharmacists on community rotations at the designated settings who performed OTC consultations and the participants of these encounters. Main Outcome Measured: Financial and clinical impact of an OTC consultation performed by student pharmacists on rotation. Results: A total of 559 OTC consultations were offered in 5 participating community pharmacy settings over a period of 1 year. Student pharmacists initiated 62.4% of all documented interactions and 60.5% of all participants accepted the consultation offer. The student pharmacists’ OTC recommendations resulted in significant cost savings to the participant. Those participants accepting consultation reported being more likely to consult with a pharmacist in the future. PY4 students were also able to demonstrate capability in impacting clinical outcomes on several occasions by implementing OTC medication changes due to patient safety concerns. Conclusion: Student pharmacist OTC consultations have the potential to positively impact both financial and clinical outcomes associated with the use of OTC medications.