Patient perceptions of a tuberculosis testing program provided in the community pharmacy setting

Abstract Objectives This study sought to describe patient experiences and perceptions of a public health initiative designed to improve tuberculosis (TB) testing access using the tuberculin skin test (TST) in a community pharmacy setting. Study design This was a cross-sectional study. Methods A telephonic survey of patients who had received a TST at one of twelve participating community pharmacies between August 2014 and July 2016 was conducted. The 26-question survey was developed by two pharmacists with expertise in TB management and one pharmacy student. Before administration the survey was peer-reviewed for clarity. Potential study patients were identified through TST records at the study pharmacies. English-speaking patients older than 18 years were eligible for study inclusion. Statistical differences in responses based on location were identified using chi-squared test for frequency comparisons with a P-value of Results A total of 1709 patients received a TST during the study period, of whom 431 were contacted and 325 participated, meeting the predetermined representative sample needed of 314 patients. The majority of study patients were female (67.1%) and white (81%). The mean age was 36 years (standard deviation = 14.1). A majority (68.3%) lived Conclusions Uptake of the TST service in the community pharmacy setting was high and patients reported positive experiences.