VALLEY FORGE, Pa., July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite widespread media
coverage of the nationwide pharmacist shortage, 64 percent of respondents in a
national survey said they were unaware of the situation. And only 19 percent
said the shortage concerned them, which would seem to indicate that despite
the shortage pharmacists have been able to meet the needs of their customers.
When asked whether the pharmacist shortage has had an impact on certain
aspects of a pharmacist's job, 48 percent said it could affect the time it
takes to fill a prescription. Forty-six percent said it could increase
medication errors, while 44 percent cited its effect on the hours a pharmacist
has to work. Last on the list, at 36 percent, was personal attention and
counseling services - another sign that pharmacists were continuing to serve
the consumer well in spite of personnel shortages.
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 simplifying insurance procedures, less paperwork and
improved working conditions.
These findings were revealed in the latest AmerisourceBergen Index(C),
which surveyed 1044 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, the largest pharmaceutical services company in
the United States dedicated solely to the pharmaceutical supply chain.
Trust and Personalized Attention Place First
For the first time since the AmerisourceBergen Index was launched in April
2001, trust and personalized attention emerged as the top reason for selecting
a pharmacy. One-quarter of respondents chose this over six other criteria.
The other options were: accepts insurance card (24 percent), location (19
percent), low prices (15 percent), fast service (8 percent), hours of
operation (4 percent), and delivery service (2 percent). As in previous
AmerisourceBergen Index surveys, trust and personalized service came in even
higher among respondents 55 and over, who purchase more medications than any
other group. Thirty-four percent of adults 55-64 years old cited this as
their top criterion, as did 35 percent of senior citizens (65 +).
When it comes to choosing a hospital, reputation scored higher than any
other criterion, with 27 percent of all respondents selecting this. Next was
having a personal physician at the hospital (19 percent), followed by
accepting a person's insurance (16 percent). Physician referral and location
tied at 10 percent. Sixteen percent of respondents said they did not have a
choice of hospitals.
Prescription Pagers?
Will pharmacists soon follow in the footsteps of restaurants by providing
customers with pagers to let them know when their prescriptions are ready? If
so, they are likely to find a sizeable customer base for this service. Survey
respondents expressed a clear preference for being on the go and getting
beeped when prescriptions are ready as opposed to hanging around the store -
even if waiting conditions were quite comfortable.
Thirty percent of respondents picked electronic pagers as their top choice
for making their trip to the pharmacy more comfortable. Sedentary options,
such as reclining chairs and magazines, were a distant second, at 12 percent,
followed by samples of health and diet foods (11 percent) and complimentary
beverages (9 percent).
High Ratings for Prescription Information
The detailed information that accompanies most new prescriptions is highly
valued by consumers, with 94 percent of survey respondents ranking them as
"somewhat or very important." Eighty-three percent of all respondents said
they considered them "very important," as did 89 percent of senior citizens
(65 +). Given this response it's not surprising that 61 percent of all
respondents said they found this information useful. These percentages were
even higher among women and seniors, with 70 percent and 71 percent
respectively saying they found prescription information quite useful.
Pharmacy of the Future
Once again, the AmerisourceBergen Index asked people what services they
would like to see in the pharmacy of the future. Twenty-four hour service
came in first out of a list of choices among 43 percent of respondents. It
scored even higher among women and among younger respondents 18-34, with 48
percent in these categories selecting this choice.
A doctor on call by phone or computer came in second with 22 percent of
respondents, followed by the ability to place an order over the Internet and
pick it up at later time, at 20 percent. Not surprisingly, this option was
most popular among the youngest group of respondents -- 18-to-24-year-olds --
with 24 percent making this their top choice.
About the AmerisourceBergen Index
The AmerisourceBergen Index is a quarterly survey of trends, purchasing
behaviors and opinions about pharmacists and their customers. The first
survey was conducted in May 2001.
About AmerisourceBergen
AmerisourceBergen (NYSE: ABC) is the largest pharmaceutical services
company in the United States dedicated solely to the pharmaceutical supply
chain. It is the leading distributor of pharmaceutical products and services
to the hospital systems/acute care market, alternate care and mail order
facilities, independent community pharmacies, and regional chain pharmacies.
The Company is also a leader in the institutional pharmacy marketplace. With
more than $39 billion in annualized operating revenue, AmerisourceBergen is
headquartered in Valley Forge, PA, and employs more than 13,000 people serving
over 25,000 customers.
2002 AmerisourceBergen Corporation.
SOURCE AmerisourceBergen
/CONTACT: Michael N. Kilpatric of AmerisourceBergen, +1-610-727-7118, or
+1-610-727-7119, or mkilpatric@amerisource.com; or Iris Raylesberg of Kapnek
Communications, +1-215-830-9890, or iris@kapnek.com, for AmerisourceBergen/
/Web site: http://www.amerisource.com /