Patient awareness, perceptions, and attitudes towards pharmacists prescribing tobacco cessation medications

Jonathan Berry; Katy Ellis Hilts; Lynn Thoma; Robin L Corelli; Timothy E Stump; Patrick O Monahan; Karen Suchanek Hudmon

doi:10.1016/j.sapharm.2023.08.002

Patient awareness, perceptions, and attitudes towards pharmacists prescribing tobacco cessation medications

Res Social Adm Pharm. 2023 Dec;19(12):1531-1542. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2023.08.002. Epub 2023 Aug 9.

Authors

Jonathan Berry¹, Katy Ellis Hilts², Lynn Thoma³, Robin L Corelli⁴, Timothy E Stump⁵, Patrick O Monahan⁶, Karen Suchanek Hudmon⁷

Affiliations

¹ Pharmacy Department, HealthLinc, Valparaiso, IN, 46383, USA. Electronic address: jberry@healthlincchc.org.
² Department of Health Policy and Management, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. Electronic address: kaaellis@iupui.edu.
³ Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47902, USA. Electronic address: lfletche@purdue.edu.
⁴ Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA. Electronic address: robin.corelli@ucsf.edu.
⁵ Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA. Electronic address: tstump@iu.edu.
⁶ Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA. Electronic address: pmonahan@iu.edu.
⁷ Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47902, USA; Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA. Electronic address: khudmon@purdue.edu.

PMID: 37777388
PMCID: PMC10625477 (available on 2024-12-01)
DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2023.08.002

Abstract

Background: Recent legislative advances now permit pharmacists to prescribe tobacco cessation medications in 17 states. While national initiatives are underway to prepare the pharmacy profession for this expanded role, patient perceptions of this role have not been explored.

Objective: The objective of this study was to characterize patient perceptions, attitudes, and awareness of pharmacists prescribing for tobacco cessation medications.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of English and Spanish-speaking patients was conducted at 12 locations of a federally-qualified health center in Northwest Indiana. Survey measures assessed sociodemographics, tobacco use history and interest in quitting, prior interactions with pharmacists and awareness of pharmacists' ability to prescribe tobacco cessation medications, and perceptions of pharmacists assisting with cessation. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) served as a framework for item development. Multivariable logistic regression was used for modeling.

Results: A total of 2082 individuals (1878 English, 204 Spanish) completed the survey (42.4%). Among current users (n = 592; 28.4%), 46.2% had made a quit attempt in the past year, and 41.0% reported having used a tobacco cessation medication in the past. Over half (60.5%) of current users would be comfortable talking with a pharmacist about quitting, 31.9% intended to talk with a pharmacist about quitting, and 31.7% intended to ask a pharmacist to prescribe a medicine to help with quitting. In multivariable modeling, intention to (a) talk with a pharmacist about quitting and (b) ask a pharmacist to prescribe a medication were significantly associated with TPB constructs. Current tobacco users were receptive to pharmacist-facilitated assistance with quitting, including prescribing of tobacco cessation medications.

Conclusions: Patients' attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, from the Theory of Planned Behavior, were important predictors of intention to engage with pharmacists for quitting and intention to ask a pharmacist to prescribe a cessation medication.

Keywords: Pharmacist prescribing; Pharmacist prescriptive authority; Scope of practice; Smoking cessation; Tobacco cessation.

MeSH terms

Community Pharmacy Services*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Pharmacists
Surveys and Questionnaires
Tobacco Use Cessation*

Abstract

MeSH terms

Grants and funding