The availability of pharmacies in the United States: 2007–2015
نویسندگان
چکیده
IMPORTANCE Despite their increasingly important role in health care delivery, little is known about the availability, and characteristics, of community pharmacies in the United States. OBJECTIVES (1) To examine trends in the availability of community pharmacies and pharmacy characteristics (24-hour, drive-up, home delivery, e-prescribing, and multilingual staffing) associated with access to prescription medications in the U.S. between 2007 and 2015; and (2) to determine whether and how these patterns varied by pharmacy type (retail chains, independents, mass retailers, food stores, government and clinic-based) and across counties. METHODS Retrospective analysis using annual data from the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs. Pharmacy locations were mapped and linked to the several publically-available data to derive information on county-level population demographics, including annual estimates of total population, percent of population that is non-English speaking, percent with an ambulatory disability and percent aged ≥65 years. The key outcomes were availability of pharmacies (total number and per-capita) and pharmacy characteristics overall, by pharmacy type, and across counties. RESULTS The number of community pharmacies increased by 6.3% from 63,752 (2007) to 67,753 (2015). Retail chain and independent pharmacies persistently accounted for 40% and 35% of all pharmacies, respectively, while the remainder were comprised of mass retailer (12%), food store, (10%), clinic-based (3%) or government (<1%) pharmacies. With the exception of e-prescribing, there was no substantial change in pharmacy characteristics over time. While the number of pharmacies per 10,000 people (2.11) did not change between 2007 and 2015 at the national-level, it varied substantially across counties ranging from 0 to 13.6 per-capita in 2015. We also found that the majority of pharmacies do not offer accommodations that facilitate access to prescription medications, including home-delivery, with considerable variation by pharmacy type and across counties. For example, the provision of home-delivery services ranged from less than <1% of mass retailers to 67% of independent stores and was not associated with county demographics, including ambulatory disability population and percent of the population aged ≥65 years. CONCLUSIONS Despite modest growth of pharmacies in the U.S., the availability of pharmacies, and pharmacy characteristics associated with access to prescription medications, vary substantially across local areas. Policy efforts aimed at improving access to prescription medications should ensure the availability of pharmacies and their accommodations align with local population needs.
منابع مشابه
The impact of the sanctions made against Iran on Availability to Asthma Medicines in Tehran
The impact of the international sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran in 2013 and also accessibility of medicines in this country have received a lot of media coverage. In this study we used the data collected from a group of pharmacies all located in Tehran to assess the potential effects of the banking sanctions on access to asthma medicines. Data were collected from forty community pharmacie...
متن کاملThe impact of the sanctions made against Iran on Availability to Asthma Medicines in Tehran
The impact of the international sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran in 2013 and also accessibility of medicines in this country have received a lot of media coverage. In this study we used the data collected from a group of pharmacies all located in Tehran to assess the potential effects of the banking sanctions on access to asthma medicines. Data were collected from forty community pharmacie...
متن کاملPoverty among Hispanic Women in the United States of America between 2005 and 2010
Poverty is a widespread problem not only inflicting poor nations, but also nations like the United States of America. In the history of the United States, women and racial minorities had always been persistently struggling with poverty. This paper intends to investigate poverty among Hispanic women between 2005 and 2010 and identify and analyze the relevant contributing factors. Within this per...
متن کاملThe Availability and Affordability of Cardiovascular Medicines for secondary prevention in Tehran Province
Abstract Abstract Background: Availability and affordability of medicines are crucial to achieving success in prevention programs, particularly in developing countries. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the availability and affordability of cardiovascular medicines for secondary prevention in Tehran province of Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Tehran pro...
متن کاملThe Availability and Affordability of Cardiovascular Medicines for secondary prevention in Tehran Province
Abstract Abstract Background: Availability and affordability of medicines are crucial to achieving success in prevention programs, particularly in developing countries. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the availability and affordability of cardiovascular medicines for secondary prevention in Tehran province of Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Tehran pro...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
عنوان ژورنال:
دوره 12 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2017