Pharmacist contributions to the ten essential services of public health in three National Association of Boards of Pharmacy regions.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacists have contributed to improved population health through the delivery of public health services, but their contributions often go unrecognized within the larger health care system.

OBJECTIVES: To determine pharmacist perceptions of their contributions to the 10 essential services of public health and to compare those contributions among pharmacists in Iowa, North Dakota, and Manitoba.

METHODS: Licensed pharmacists in Iowa, North Dakota, and Manitoba were sent an online survey of their perceived level of achievement of the 10 essential services of public health.

RESULTS: A total of 649 pharmacists completed the survey. The 3 essential services that scored the highest overall were enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety, inform and educate people about health issues, and participate in ongoing training beyond continuing education requirements. Contributions of pharmacists to the 10 essential services of public health were previously evaluated by frequency of citation in the published literature. There was relative agreement between what was reported in the literature and what was determined by survey. One exception was "enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety," which was rarely reported in the literature but was reported in the survey to be the most frequently delivered service.

CONCLUSION: Pharmacist contributions to improved population health should be reported with the use of the 10 essential services of public health. This will increase recognition of pharmacist contributions and better align the disciplines of pharmacy and public health. In particular, pharmacists should consider ways to increase their level of involvement in the community and in partnership with other health care professionals.