News Brief: Many Americans unaware of pharmacist shortage
Despite widespread media coverage, 64% of respondents to a national survey said they were unaware of the nationwide pharmacist shortage.
These findings were revealed in the latest AmerisourceBergen Index, which surveyed 1,044 people nationwide on a range of topics, including the reasons for selecting a hospital and pharmacy, ways to increase customer comfort, and options for the pharmacy of the future. The quarterly survey was conducted by Opinion Research Corporation on behalf of AmerisourceBergen, based in Valley Forge, PA.
Only 19% of respondents said the pharmacist shortage concerned them. When asked whether the pharmacist shortage has had an impact on certain aspects of a pharmacist’s job, 48% said it could affect the time it takes to fill a prescription. Forty-six percent said it could increase medication errors, while 44% cited its effect on the hours a pharmacist has to work.
As for filling the ranks of pharmacists from the general population, the survey results were less than encouraging. Eighty-two percent of respondents said they had not considered a career as a pharmacist, nor had they recommended it to someone they knew. Twenty-nine percent of respondents suggested that "better compensation" might encourage more people to enter the field, over other options such as simplified insurance procedures, reduced paperwork, and improved working conditions. For more information about the survey, see www.amerisourcebergen.net.
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