Pharmacists Rank Among Top 3 in Survey

SN STAFF

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — For the eighth consecutive year, pharmacists have placed in the top three in Gallup's Honesty and Ethics survey, which measures the public's trust of professionals across diverse disciplines, including but not limited to healthcare. The latest results of the annual survey were released by Gallup on Friday.

"Druggists or pharmacists" ranked third ­behind nurses, which ranked first, and military officers. Among respondents, 71% rated the honesty and ethical standards of pharmacists as "very high" or "high" ­an increase from 66% in 2009.

"Pharmacists are the face of neighborhood healthcare," said National Association Chain Drug Stores President and CEO Steven C. Anderson. "They are highly accessible, with nearly all Americans living within five miles of a community pharmacy. They also are highly trusted a concept that is supported again by the Gallup survey.

"We find that people are interested to hear about the education that pharmacists receive. To sit for pharmacy Board licensure exams today, candidates must have a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD), which requires a minimum of six years of professional education. Pharmacists are well qualified to meet the day-to-day needs of patients, as well as to help patients chart strategies to take their medications correctly, which is referred to within healthcare as medication adherence."

NACDS emphasizes that poor medication adherence accounts for approximately $290 billion in annual costs ­ or 13% of all healthcare expenditures.

"The public trust in pharmacists that is reflected in the Gallup Survey provides further support for entrusting pharmacists with responsibilities that can help improve patients' lives and reduce healthcare costs," Anderson said.

Among the opportunities to utilize pharmacists even more effectively is to continue to expand accessibility of pharmacist-provided medication therapy management (MTM) services, which include specific steps to ensure the right medications are being taken in the right ways.