Citation

Sunderland B, Burrows S, Joyce A, McManus A, Maycock B. Aust. J. Rural Health 2006; 14(3): 116-119.

Affiliation

School of Pharmacy, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. b.sunderland@curtin.edu.au

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Association for Australian Rural Nurses; National Rural Health Alliance, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1440-1584.2006.00774.x

PMID

16706880

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the level and perceived quality of health promotion advice received from rural pharmacists. DESIGN: Self-administered written survey on access to and quality of pharmacy services in rural Western Australia completed by rural residents. SETTING: Rural pharmacy. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred and eighty-three respondents who regularly used a pharmacy. OUTCOME MEASURES: Items in the survey included frequency of receiving prevention advice and satisfaction ratings on health and pharmacy services. RESULTS: Eighty-eight per cent of respondents had never discussed exercise or diet with their pharmacist and 65% had never discussed preventing health problems. Receiving good prevention advice predicted satisfaction with health services in general but not satisfaction with pharmacy services. CONCLUSION: Pharmacies are being underutilised with respect to their capacity to deliver heath prevention advice and ways to capitalise on this potential need to be investigated.

Language: en