Evaluation of Pharmacists' Practice in Providing Asthma Care

Objective: To assess the extent of asthma care provided by pharmacists, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) guidelines for the role of pharmacists in asthma care, and to compare frequency of asthma care between attendees and nonattendees of an asthma disease certificate program (CP). Design: A cross-sectional design with data collection mode of mail survey. Participants: Two hundred pharmacists who attended an asthma CP and 500 randomly selected pharmacists licensed to practice in the State of New Jersey who did not attend a CP in asthma. Main Outcome Measures: Mail survey measured: (a) degree of asthma education services provided by pharmacists; (b) obstacles to pharmacists' delivery of asthma services; and (c) impact of the asthma certificate program on pharmacy practice. Results: The extent of asthma care provided by pharmacists who attended the CP did not differ significantly from that delivered by pharmacists who did not attend the CP, despite the fact that 94 percent of the CP attendees indicated that the program had increased their confidence and ability to educate their patients. Frequencies of asthma services provided by retail CP attendees were similar to retail non-CP attendees; however, hospital CP attendees were more likely to provide asthma care than hospital pharmacists who did not attend the CP (p < 0.05). Lack of pharmacists' time and patients' time and/or interest were rated as the leading barriers to the delivery of asthma education services to patients. Conclusion: The pharmacist's role in asthma care put forth in the NHLBI guidelines has not been well integrated into the practices of pharmacists. Participation in an asthma disease certificate program did not significantly change the extent of asthma care provided.