Impact of a clinical pharmacist's emphasis on patient communication on the patient's attitude toward pharmacy.

Abstract

This study sought to determine if the provision of a clinical pharmacist with increased patient communication to a given population would result in that population having a subsequent improvement in its attitude toward pharmacy. A before and after experimental-control group (pretest-posttest) research design with randomization was employed. Questionnaires were mailed to 200 families in the control and experimental rural towns the day the model practice with increased patient communication opened. Identical questionnaires were again mailed to pretest respondents after the practice had been in operation for approximately one- and two-year periods. Analysis of covariance revealed that consumers in the town exposed to increased patient communication experienced an improvement in attitude toward pharmacy which was significantly greater than that experienced by consumers in the control town which retained traditional pharmacy services during the same time period. The final posttest measurement indicated that consumers in the experimental town had an attitude level significantly higher than consumers in the control town. Relatively strong support is given to the hypothesis that increased patient communication about drug therapy can result in improved consumer attitudes toward pharmacy.