Introduction

1. Pharmacy Legislation: A Cross-Sectional Study of the Current Demands and Legislative Beliefs of Licensed Pharmacists and Pharmacy Interns UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC CAPSLEAD TEAM Vince Banh, Kelly Chen, Tobias Damron, LinseyKomure, Gregory Koyama, RenaeMinnema, Jennifer Novak, Brannon Wong Faculty: Veronica Bandy, PharmD, Donald Floriddia, PhD, Denis Meerdink, PhD Introduction Discussion Pharmacy has evolved into a dynamic profession, rich with diverse and innovative practices. In response to this evolution, specialized pharmacy organizations have assembled to satisfy the specific wants and needs of these varying practices.  While specialization has enabled pharmacy to take great strides forward, it has unfortunately also become a major impediment to creating greater legislative unity throughout the profession. “After the turn of the 20th century the pharmaceutical personnel of America became increasingly segmented under the growing influences of specialization, differences in function and objectives, and divergent educational backgrounds and socioeconomic circumstances”1. It is this organizational segmentation that has led to the legislative fragmentation seen today. Lack of unity amongst pharmacy organizations has been and continues to be a major challenge for the pharmacy profession. The idea of converging pharmacy organizations to create ‘one voice for pharmacy’ is not newfound. On the contrary, it has been suggested and attempted many times throughout pharmacy’s history. Unfortunately these attempts have been plagued by disagreement over legislative issues, overlapping functions, personal incompatibilities, and differing value sets1 . It is hypothesized that the solution to promoting legislative cohesion will be derived from better recognizing and understanding the core issues and shared opinions of pharmacists and pharmacy interns alike. This hypothesis is strengthened by the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP), a commission that serves as a communication platform for professional pharmacy organizations. The overall goal of the JCPP is to open the lines of communication between pharmacy organizations to ultimately promote political and professional unity. Currently information regarding the shared opinions of pharmacists and pharmacy interns is lacking. The goal of this project is to explore the current opinions and knowledge of pharmacists and pharmacy interns with regard to the current state of pharmacy-based legislation, the roles of pharmacists and professional pharmacy organizations, and the benefit of the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners to strengthen pharmacy-based legislation. 1 Kremers, E., & Urdang, G. (1976). Kremers and Urdang'sHistory of Pharmacy. (4th ed.). Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company. In figure 1, the majority of surveyed participants believed pharmacy as a profession should be unified by one collective pharmacy organization. However, when asked if it is possible for one organization to collectively unify pharmacy, the amount of participants that agreed dropped. Although the participants were aware of the importance of strength in numbers in regards to one organization unifying the pharmacy profession in legislation, they also understood the difficulty of one organization being able to fully represent such a diverse profession. With multiple organizations currently representing the diverse field of pharmacy, communication between organizations regarding legislative issues is a known challenge that pharmacists face today. Despite this diversity, there are still core principles that all pharmacists share and can unify behind. From the survey, many of the participants shared common opinions in regards to providing the best patient care services and a desire to interact with other health care providers (fig. 2). To protect these opinions politically and ensure the future of the profession of pharmacy, it is a necessity that pharmacy organizations communicate to provide a cohesive voice to legislative representatives. According to figure 3, the majority of participants believe state pharmacy organizations should meet to discuss common issues. This awareness of the importance of communication is a step in the right direction. Interestingly, a minority of the participants (fig. 4) were aware that a communication platform called the JCPP has existed since 1977 at the national level (see About the JCPP). According to the most recent brochure put out by the JCPP, “Participating members of the JCPP believe that much has been accomplished toward unifying the pharmacy profession at the national level through its activities” 2. The success of the JCPP stems from each organization in attendance maintaining autonomy because the JCPP has no intrinsic authority to speak for its members; however, the open communication at these meetings provides the opportunity for unified political action when shared interests exists 2. 2 Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners. JCPP: A National Forum for Pharmacy Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 a (1) Pharmacy as a profession SHOULD BE unified by one collective pharmacy organization (2) It is POSSIBLE for one organization to collectively unify pharmacy b I would like to spend more time providing patient care services at work c It is important that all of the STATE pharmacy organizations meet to discuss common issues currently facing the profession Conclusion If this JCPP forum is implemented at the state level, further political unity on shared interests that necessitate political action is possible. The past history of pharmacy has shown the necessity of various organizations advocating for each subspecialty of pharmacy, but the future of pharmacy hinges on the ability of pharmacists to maintain communication and stay involved in their profession outside of the workplace. The principles promoted by JCPP will hopefully accomplish legislative unification on core issues and increase political strength at the state and national level in the years to come. Methods and Limitations Results • Methods • Background research on the history of pharmacy, pharmacy organizations, and its legislation was conducted by literature review, phone interviews and emails.  A survey was prepared to assess the wants, needs, and legislative beliefs of current pharmacists and pharmacy Interns. The survey developed and utilized was approved by the University of the Pacific’s Institutional Review Board.The survey was distributed electronically to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year pharmacy interns in addition to alumni on the email listserv from the University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy. Responses were examined as frequency counts utilizing SAS. • Limitations • Responses from participants may reflect what is professionally expected • Incomplete responses from participants  • Sample included more pharmacy interns than pharmacists • Sample responses were only collected from University of the Pacific interns and alumni. • Limited references from previously related studies • Participants’ Views on Unity • 73.3% of pharmacists & pharmacy interns believed that pharmacy as a profession should be unified by one collective pharmacy organization. • 45.4% of pharmacists & pharmacy interns did not think the profession of pharmacy is unified in its mission. • 57.8% of pharmacists & pharmacy interns believed that it is possible for one organization to collectively unify pharmacy. • 18.1% of pharmacists & pharmacy interns knew about the JCPP. • 70.3% of pharmacists & pharmacy interns agree that all of the national organizations should meet to discuss common issues of pharmacy. • 69.8% of pharmacists & pharmacy interns agree that all of the state organizations should meet to discuss common issues of pharmacy. • Participants’ Views on Pharmacy Practice • 51.8% of pharmacists & pharmacy interns would like to spend LESS time dispensing medications. • 81.4% of pharmacists & pharmacy interns would like to spend MORE time providing patient care services. • 73.9% of pharmacists & pharmacy interns would like to spend MORE time interacting with other health care professionals. • 76.5% of pharmacists & pharmacy interns agree that the professional interests of pharmacists differ. About the JCPP • Members3 • Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy • Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education* • American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy* • American College of Apothecaries • American College of Clinical Pharmacy • American Pharmacists Association • American Society of Consultant Pharmacists • American Society of Health-System Pharmacists • National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations* • National Association of Boards of Pharmacy* • National Community Pharmacists Association • *indicates liaison members • Topics at Quarterly Meetings3 • Health Care Reform • Federal Agencies Advisory Committees • Managed Care • Pharmacy in the 21st Century • Therapeutic purpose of prescriptions • Recent industry trends • Proposed MedGuide Regulations • Compounding and Manufacturing • Outpatient prescription medications 3 Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners: Executive Summary of the JCPP. An Action Plan for Implementation of the JCPP Future Vision of Pharmacy Practice. Revised February 10, 2008