Impact of the British Columbia Brown Bag Clinics on Client Awareness of the Pharmacist as a Provider of Consumer Drug and Health Information

Abstract

Using open-ended questions in a telephone survey, over 200 randomly selected retirees were queried about sources of drug and health information. Clients from brown bag medication review clinics were asked the same questions six months after attending the clinics. Clinic participants failed to mention the pharmacist as a source of information about prescription and nonprescription drugs, treating mild illnesses, or general health concerns more often than controls. Client awareness of pharmacist capabilities was not improved. Comparison of results from the present study with those of an earlier study suggests that younger adults may be more aware of the pharmacist's capabilities than the elderly.