Assessing the needs of pharmacists and physicians in caring for patients with epilepsy.
OBJECTIVE
To obtain primary care physicians' and community pharmacists' opinions of the Pharmacist Note, a model epilepsy patient profile maintained by the pharmacist and transmitted to the physician as needed, and the information it contains.


METHODS
A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used for collecting and analyzing data. Separate surveys were developed and mailed to physicians and pharmacists.


METHODS
554 primary care physicians and 114 community pharmacists in Ohio who interact regularly with epilepsy patients.


METHODS
Pharmacist and physician opinions on the Pharmacist Note program.


RESULTS
Physicians ranked seizure frequency as their most useful piece of information, followed by medication compliance and drug interaction screening. For medication profile and drug interaction screening, most physicians currently use themselves as their primary source of information, although a significant number would prefer to use pharmacists as information sources in these areas (p < .05). A majority (62%) would like to have pharmacists more involved in the care of their patients. Pharmacists identified lack of time and lack of appointments with patients, inadequate pharmacy staff, and insufficient reimbursement as barriers to implementing the Pharmacist Note program.


CONCLUSIONS
Physicians desire pharmacist involvement in specific areas of care for patients with epilepsy, and the feasibility of implementing the Pharmacist Note and similar programs appears promising. However, pharmacists identified barriers to implementation, and these barriers need to be addressed if this type of program is to be successful.
McAuley
J W
JW
College of Pharmacy, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210-1291, USA. McAuley.5@osu.edu
Mott
D A
DA
Schommer
J C
JC
Moore
J L
JL
Reeves
A L
AL
D000328:Adult; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000592:standards*; D010820:Physicians / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires