Prescriber and Pharmacist Attitudes Toward Inclusion of Diagnosis or Clinical Indication on Prescription Orders

ABSTRACT Objective To assess attitudes of Arizona prescribers and pharmacists toward the inclusion of the clinical indication or diagnosis on prescription orders, and perceived barriers to its implementation in Arizona. Methods Data were obtained via questionnaires from pharmacists and primary care prescribers following a continuing education presentation on the value of including clinical indication or diagnosis on prescription orders. The survey was distributed to licensed pharmacists who attended the Arizona Pharmacy Association's Southwest Clinical Pharmacy Seminar. The survey was distributed to primary care providers with active Arizona licenses who attended the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association Annual Convention, and to nurse practitioners following an Arizona Nurse Practitioner Council educational webinar. Prescriber and pharmacist responses were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. An a-priori alpha of 0.05 was used and in the cases of multiple comparisons, a Bonferroni correction was employed. Main Results A total of 74 complete questionnaires were submitted by prescribers and 54 by pharmacists. Approximately 71% of prescribers and 66% of pharmacists agreed they would support voluntary inclusion of a diagnosis or clinical indication on prescription orders (p=0.81). However, the two groups disagreed on whether the inclusion of the diagnosis or clinical indication should be a requirement (44% of prescribers agreed versus 96% of pharmacists, p Conclusions Arizona prescribers and pharmacists in our convenience sample supported the voluntary inclusion of a diagnosis or clinical indication on prescriptions orders but disagree as to whether it should be required. Prescribers especially indicated they have a variety of concerns that need to be overcome before they could support a state-wide mandate.