Utilization Of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs Research Articles

Examination of psychosocial predictors of Virginia pharmacists' intention to utilize a prescription drug monitoring program using the theory of planned behavior

Little is known about the main drivers of pharmacists' intention to utilize prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) when making care decisions and the actual contribution of these factors in explaining intention and behavior. This study examined what theory of planned behavior (TPB) model constructs (i.e., attitude, subjective norm [SN], perceived behavioral control [PBC]), past utilization behavior (PUB) and perceived moral obligation (PMO) were significant predictors of Virginia community pharmacists' intention to utilize a PDMP. A cover letter with a link to a 28-item online survey was e-mailed to 600 members of the Virginia Pharmacists Association. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine the association between pharmacists' intention to utilize the PDMP database and attitude, SN, PBC, PUB and PMO. Ninety-seven usable responses were received, for a response rate of 16.2%. A majority of the respondents were Caucasian (96.4%), female (50.5%), working in independent community pharmacies (60.4%) with an average age of 49.5 ± 13.4 years. Overall, pharmacists intended to utilize a PDMP (mean = 5.3 ± 4.6; possible range: -9 to 9), had a positive attitude toward utilizing PDMP (mean = 6.3 ± 5.3; possible range: -12 to 12), perceived that others wanted them to utilize a PDMP (SN score = 3.7 ± 2.4; range: -6 to 6), and believed that they had control over utilization behavior (PBC score = 4.5 ± 4.0; range: -9 to 9). Attitude (β = 0.723, P < 0.001), SN (β = 0.230, P = 0.014) and PBC (β = -0.215, P = 0.026) significantly predicted pharmacists' intent, accounting for 56.7% of the variance in intention to utilize the PDMP database (P < 0.001). The addition of PMO (P < 0.001) significantly contributed to explaining the variance in intention but PUB did not. Members of the Virginia Pharmacists Association who responded to the survey showed a strong positive intent to utilize PDMP database. Pharmacists' attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and perceived moral obligation were significant predictors of intention but past utilization behavior was not. The TPB is a useful theoretical framework when predicting PDMP utilization behavior of community pharmacists, accounting for 56.7% of the variance in intention.

Using the theory of planned behavior to examine pharmacists' intention to utilize a prescription drug monitoring program database

Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are state-operated electronic databases that contain patients' controlled drug histories. Most states provide these data to pharmacists via online web portals to combat prescription drug abuse and diversion. The objectives of this study were to: 1) explore the theory of planned behavior's (TPB) utility in predicting Texas pharmacists' intention to utilize an online accessible PDMP; 2) to determine the contribution of each construct, attitude (A), subjective norm (SN) and perceived behavioral control (PBC) in predicting pharmacists' intention; and 3) test whether the addition of perceived obligation (PO) is significantly related to pharmacists' intention. A cross-sectional, 36-item questionnaire was developed from focus groups and literature of pharmacists' views regarding prescription drug abuse. A total of 998 practicing Texas community pharmacists were surveyed to collect data on their intention to utilize a PDMP database. Descriptive statistics, multivariate and hierarchical logistic regression analyses were used to address the study objectives. The response rate was 26.2% (261/998). TPB constructs were significant predictors of pharmacists' high intention to utilize the PDMP. Pharmacists with positive attitudes were almost twice as likely to have high intention (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2-2.8). SN was the strongest predictor of pharmacists' high intention (OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.4-3.3). Pharmacists with high PBC were also twice as likely to have high intention (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.2-3.0). Additionally, pharmacists' PO contributed to the prediction of high intention (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.0-3.1) above that explained by the TPB model constructs (X(2) = 4.14, P < 0.05). TPB with the addition of PO was useful in predicting pharmacists' high intention to utilize a PDMP database. Interventions that address pharmacists' A, SN, PBC, and PO may be valuable to increase pharmacists' high intention. Pharmacists' utilization of PDMPs may lead to a decrease in the morbidity and mortality associated with prescription drug abuse. Future studies that assess whether intention to use PDMPs translates to actual usage are needed to strengthen these findings.