New survey shows deep trust in profession and strong support for pharmacists providing more health care services
New Brunswickers appear to take a more holistic view of their health care than the average Canadian and strongly trust pharmacists to provide more services than just dispensing pills, says a new survey by Abacus Data.
The survey, released today to kick off Pharmacy Awareness Month, found that New Brunswick residents are 14 points more likely than the general Canadian population to feel that pharmacists are essential to the healthcare system.
“In New Brunswick, pharmacists were trusted by a majority of residents to administer vaccines, manage chronic health conditions, advise on healthy lifestyle choices and manage common ailments like cold and flu,” says David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data. “In each case, pharmacists were more likely to be completely trusted by New Brunswick residents than by Canadians in general.”
The survey found 96% of New Brunswickers have a very positive or positive impression of pharmacists, and they are more likely to believe that pharmacists play an essential role in the healthcare system than the national average (NB 71% vs CAN 57%).
New Brunswick residents are also more trusting of pharmacists to give advice on administering vaccinations (NB 73% vs CAN 61%), managing chronic health conditions (NB 60% vs CAN 51%), making healthy lifestyle choices (NB 69% vs CAN 60%) and managing minor ailments like cold and flu (NB 80% vs CAN 70%). Almost half of New Brunswickers (49%) seek treatment for minor ailments by calling or visiting a pharmacy before seeking help from their doctor or after-hours clinic.
“New Brunswickers naturally head to the pharmacy as a first stop when they are sick or in pain and they are open to pharmacists providing more health care services. An excellent opportunity exists to divert patients from overcrowded ERs to pharmacies, where they can be treated more quickly and at a lower cost,” says Paul Blanchard, Executive Director of the New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association.
Other findings include:
- 61% would prefer getting prescriptions for certain minor ailments from a pharmacy (19% family doctor, 9% afterhours clinic).
- 88% strongly or mostly agree that allowing pharmacists to do more will improve health outcomes for patients and would reduce costs in the health care system.
- 72% believe services such as vaccines, assessments of minor ailments, and prescriptions for those ailments should be covered by Medicare.
The survey, in partnership with the Canadian Pharmacists Association, on perceptions and attitudes about pharmacists was conducted by Abacus Data who contacted 4,173 Canadians over the age of 18, which included 500 New Brunswickers.
The New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association is the voice of pharmacists in the province and is committed to providing leadership for the profession and improving the health of New Brunswickers.