University of Louisville
A Community-centric Exploration of Pharmacy Accessibility in Medical Care Deserts
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
Major
Public Health
Minor
Biology, Healthcare Management
Institution 23-24
University of Louisville
KY House District #
48
KY Senate District #
6
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Demetra Antimisiaris, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP
Department
School of Public Health; Health Management and Systems Sciences
Abstract
Pharmacies have the potential to bridge gaps in healthcare access and patient care. Pharmacies are far more than drug dispensaries; they play a critical role in patient education, communication across providers, and contribute to effective medication management. Pharmacies that are inaccessible threaten the health and wellbeing of the surrounding community. Geographical distance from the pharmacy has been the main focus of past research done on pharmacy accessibility; however, accessibility extends beyond distance. The present study aimed to identify unrecognized accessibility barriers experienced by those living in pharmacy and medical care deserts. The study uncovered unexpected aspects of pharmacy utility in the accessibility desert.
Two focus groups, one consisting of young/middle-aged adults and one with persons above the age of 65, were conducted to gain insight into the lived experience of people living in West Louisville, an area considered to be a pharmacy and medical care access desert. The data obtained from the focus groups was thematically coded.
Six major themes were identified– transportation barriers, poor service (unpredictable hours of operation, long lines, lack of cleanliness in the pharmacy, and inability to reorder prescriptions online), scarcity of pharmacies, price disparities across the few pharmacies available, pharmacy accessibility as an extension of food accessibility, and redlining/exclusionary tactics.
The data collected from this study serves to inform policy makers and those operating pharmacies on points of intervention that would benefit the quality of healthcare received by those living in care deserts. The narrative data collected in this study will not only be used to inform policy and community interventions, but will also help develop a pharmacy utility index (PUI) for the next phase of this study. The PUI can be used as a means of measuring and predicting access beyond solely geographic information that has been the focus of past research.
A Community-centric Exploration of Pharmacy Accessibility in Medical Care Deserts
Pharmacies have the potential to bridge gaps in healthcare access and patient care. Pharmacies are far more than drug dispensaries; they play a critical role in patient education, communication across providers, and contribute to effective medication management. Pharmacies that are inaccessible threaten the health and wellbeing of the surrounding community. Geographical distance from the pharmacy has been the main focus of past research done on pharmacy accessibility; however, accessibility extends beyond distance. The present study aimed to identify unrecognized accessibility barriers experienced by those living in pharmacy and medical care deserts. The study uncovered unexpected aspects of pharmacy utility in the accessibility desert.
Two focus groups, one consisting of young/middle-aged adults and one with persons above the age of 65, were conducted to gain insight into the lived experience of people living in West Louisville, an area considered to be a pharmacy and medical care access desert. The data obtained from the focus groups was thematically coded.
Six major themes were identified– transportation barriers, poor service (unpredictable hours of operation, long lines, lack of cleanliness in the pharmacy, and inability to reorder prescriptions online), scarcity of pharmacies, price disparities across the few pharmacies available, pharmacy accessibility as an extension of food accessibility, and redlining/exclusionary tactics.
The data collected from this study serves to inform policy makers and those operating pharmacies on points of intervention that would benefit the quality of healthcare received by those living in care deserts. The narrative data collected in this study will not only be used to inform policy and community interventions, but will also help develop a pharmacy utility index (PUI) for the next phase of this study. The PUI can be used as a means of measuring and predicting access beyond solely geographic information that has been the focus of past research.