title: Are patient's simply unaware? A cross-sectional study of website promotion of community pharmacy adherence-related services in Tennessee.
abstract: Medication adherence rates can impact patient outcomes, quality of life, and health care costs. Community pharmacists who offer adherence-related services are well positioned to bolster medication adherence rates. One means for patients to learn more about these services is through the pharmacy's website. However, the prevalence of pharmacies' promotion of adherence services through the internet is unknown.
  
  
  
  The present study aimed to quantify the online promotion of pharmacies' adherence-related services.
  
  
  
  This was a cross-sectional, observational study of websites representing licensed community pharmacies. One-hundred and sixty-nine community pharmacy websites, representing 1161 of community pharmacies in Tennessee (U.S. State), were included in the observational analysis.
  
  
  
  The most commonly promoted adherence-related service was online refills (81.1%). Auto refill, medication synchronization, and packaging systems were promoted on <20% pharmacy websites. Types of promoted adherence services differed between chain and independent pharmacy websites.
  
  
  
  Despite 67% of pharmacies offering adherence-related services, only a fraction of them promote these services online. Patient awareness represents a hidden and often unaddressed variable in increasing adherence. Future studies should investigate whether increasing website promotion of these services would increase service use, and potentially improve adherence rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 193 Polk Avenue, Suite 2D, Nashville, TN 37210, USA. Electronic address: khohmeie@uthsc.edu.
authors.forename: Kenneth C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Hohmeier
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 193 Polk Avenue, Suite 2D, Nashville, TN 37210, USA.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Borja-Hart
mesh_terms: D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008389:Marketing of Health Services / Q000379:methods*; D055118:Medication Adherence; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024382:Professional Role; D013714:Tennessee
keywords: Adherence; Community pharmacy; Patient awareness; Patient education; Website