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Pharmacists’ Perceptions of Participation in a Community Pharmacy-Based Nicotine Replacement Therapy Distribution Program

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Abstract

The community pharmacy has been proposed as an ideal location for providing smoking cessation therapy to large numbers of patients. Studies of public health initiatives providing free nicotine replacement products through telephone quitlines have found increased call volumes and cessation rates. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a program where nicotine replacement therapy starter packs were provided to patients through community pharmacies at no cost. An online survey was developed to assess community pharmacists’ participation in the program, perceptions of the initiative as a whole, and perceptions of smoking cessation counseling activities. Eighty-three pharmacists working at participating pharmacies completed the survey (65% response rate). Ninety-nine percent of pharmacists provided smoking cessation counseling during the study period; the median (IQR) number of patients counseled over the initial 3.5-months of the NRT distribution program was 50 (24–100), and the median number of minutes per counseling session was five (3–7). Most (89%) agreed smoking cessation counseling was accommodated into the pharmacy work-flow. A majority (85%) agreed the community pharmacy is an ideal location for distributing free NRT products and that the program should be replicated in other pharmacies (78%). Participating pharmacists viewed the program positively and perceived it to be effective in helping patients quit smoking. In conclusion, the community pharmacy is a viable location for implementation of community-based public health initiatives related to smoking cessation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the Ralphs Pharmacists who participated in the NRT distribution program and who completed the web-based survey. The authors also acknowledge Drs. Inna Gubernick, Joanna Lamprou, and Niousha Nader, who at the time of the study were student pharmacists at the University of California San Francisco, for their contributions during the survey development and data collection phases of the study. The CS2day project (http://www.cs2day.org) and speaker Frank Vitale kindly provided the webinar trainings at no cost for participating pharmacists. Chris Larrison provided valuable feedback on the study measures. The UCSF Smoking Cessation Leadership Center (smokingcessationleadership.ucsf.edu), including Connie Revell, Catherine Saucedo, Reason Reyes, and Dr. Steven A. Schroeder, prompted the integration of community pharmacists as key contributors to the It’s Quitting Time L.A.! initiative. Effort for Drs. Corelli and Hudmon was supported, in part, by National Cancer Institute grant R01 CA 129312 to K Hudmon.

Conflicts of interest

Linh Lee and Rebecca Cupp are employees of Ralphs Grocery Company. The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Matthew A. Hoch & Karen Suchanek Hudmon

  2. Ralphs Grocery Company, Compton, CA, USA

    Linh Lee & Rebecca Cupp

  3. Tobacco Control and Prevention Program, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Linda Aragon

  4. Tobacco Cessation and Media Initiatives, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Rachel A. Tyree

  5. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of California San Francisco, 521 Parnassus Avenue [C-152], BOX 0622, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0622, USA

    Robin L. Corelli

Authors
  1. Matthew A. Hoch
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  2. Karen Suchanek Hudmon
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  3. Linh Lee
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  4. Rebecca Cupp
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  5. Linda Aragon
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  6. Rachel A. Tyree
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  7. Robin L. Corelli
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Correspondence to Robin L. Corelli.

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Hoch, M.A., Hudmon, K.S., Lee, L. et al. Pharmacists’ Perceptions of Participation in a Community Pharmacy-Based Nicotine Replacement Therapy Distribution Program. J Community Health 37, 848–854 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-011-9519-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-011-9519-7

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