Abstract
Background
The American Public Health Association defines a Community Health Worker (CHW) as “a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served.” Both CHWs and pharmacists have shown they are well-equipped to produce positive outcomes in chronic disease management, but there is still a gap in the literature regarding the CHW-pharmacist relationship.
Objective
The objective of this study was to assess and describe pharmacist perceptions and experiences with CHWs.
Methods
An online survey was distributed to pharmacists via state and national pharmacy organizations in the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographics and pharmacist experiences with CHWs.
Results
The survey received 241 responses and 212 (88.0%) met inclusion criteria. Of the 212 eligible respondents, the survey was sufficiently completed by 163 (76.9%). These 163 complete responses were included in the data analysis. Fifty-eight (35.6%) respondents reported working with a CHW and 105 (64.4%) reported never working with a CHW. Fifty-two (89.7%) respondents who previously worked with a CHW were strongly interested or interested in continuing to work with a CHW. Sixty-one (58.1%) respondents without experience were strongly interested or interested in working with a CHW. The reported improvements seen with the addition of a CHW to the healthcare team included: improved patient empowerment, improved clinical patient outcomes, decreased workload of other healthcare professionals, increased healthcare knowledge, increased healthcare utilization, and increased medication and/or treatment plan adherence.
Conclusion
Pharmacists recognize the benefit of working with a CHW and their contributions to patient care and want to continue working collaboratively. Collaborative pharmacist-CHW relationships should be a priority for optimizing care through community pharmacies and will require a shift in the current structure of community pharmacy services.
Date of this Version
5-3-2024
Recommended Citation
Wees, Katelyn; Thoma, Lynn; Meredith, Ashley; ADEOYE-OLATUNDE, OMOLOLA A.; and Gonzalvo, Jasmine, "An Assessment of Pharmacist Perceptions and Experiences with Community Health Workers" (2024). Department of Pharmacy Practice Faculty Publications. Paper 24.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/phprpubs/24
Comments
This is the author-accepted manuscript of Wees, K.; Thoma, L.; Meredith, A.; Adeoye-Olatunde, O.; and Gonzalvo, V. (2024) "An Assessment of Pharmacist Perceptions and Experiences with Community Health Workers." Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. Copyright Elsevier, the version of record is available at DOI: 10.1016/j.japh.2024.102112, and this version is made available CC-BY-NC-ND.