Medical Students’ Perceptions on the Role of Pharmacists

Background: Over the last decade, the pharmacists’ role in health-care services has evolved and expanded to include more direct patient care and disease management services. Objective: To evaluate medical students’ perceptions on pharmacists, their role in health care, and demographic or experiential factors that influenced the medical students’ opinions. Methods: Medical students, at a Midwest, academic medical center, were solicited to complete a cross-sectional, web-based survey consisting of 3 domains: basic demographics, knowledge of the pharmacy profession, and opinions of pharmacists. Results: Participants supported pharmacists’ role in recommending and monitoring drug therapy. However, participants did not support pharmacists’ role in performing physical examinations, health screenings, or managing patients with chronic diseases. The main factors that influenced perceptions of pharmacists were female gender and frequent (weekly or more) interaction with a pharmacist or pharmacy student. Neither year in medical school nor participation in intercollaborative practice significantly influenced perceptions of pharmacists. Conclusion: This survey highlights the need to improve the education medical students receive about pharmacists’ contribution to the health-care team and the importance of increasing the interaction between medical students and pharmacists or pharmacy students to enhance interprofessional collaboration.