1. ADDRESS QUESTIONS TO: clauson@nova. edu The Changing Landscape of Pharmacy Manpower in West Virginia David A. Latif, Ph.D., Fadi M. Alkhateeb, Ph.D, Michelle R. Easton, Pharm.D., David Bowyer, BSPharm, Michael Bottorff, Pharm.D School of Pharmacy, University of Charleston, Charleston, WV Background Discussion Results Objectives According to the Aggregate Demand Index (ADI) the shortage of pharmacists has been particularly severe in West Virginia from 2000 until early 2009. 1 Since 2009 the ADI for W.V. has been declining. The ADI has been identified as one of the reasons for new schools of pharmacy to open, and for existing colleges and schools of pharmacy to increase their class sizes. In order to obtain richer information regarding pharmacist manpower issues in W.V., it is prudent to examine the perceptions of pharmacists practicing in the state. Our primary objectives were to (1) identify and compare pharmacist perceptions of staffing levels in West Virginia in 2011 with a similar study done in 2005 2 ; and to (2) identify pharmacist workload perceptions of time spent with patients, ability to resolve drug therapy problems and prevent errors, and Disease State Management offerings (DSM). Table 1. Comparison between 2005 and 2011 pharmacist staffing levels and impact on patient care in West Virginia References and Acknowledgement* 1.Knapp KK, Shah, BM, Barnett, MJ. The Pharmacist Aggregate Demand Index to Explain Changing Pharmacist Demand Over a Ten-year Period. Am J Pharm Edu. 2010; 74 (10) Article 189 2.Robinson ET, Bowyer D. Assessment of pharmacy manpower and services in West Virginia. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2006 Sep;2(3):359-69 * The authors wish to thank Ciara Bostic for help with data entry. The survey was conducted between April 15, 2011, and June 15, 2011. Of the 1983 mailed surveys, 13 were returned as undeliverable or from retired pharmacists and the adjusted sample size was 1970. A total of 596 responses were received giving an adjusted response rate of 30.3%. Methods Note: S.A. = strongly agree; A = agree; N = neutral; D = disagree; S.D. = strongly disagree Conclusion A mail survey was sent to all pharmacists licensed by the W.V. Board of Pharmacy. The subjects were contacted up to three times (Two surveys and one reminder postcard). During the past six years, the perceived pharmacy manpower environment has changed significantly in W.V. Specifically, 60.2% of 2011 pharmacists disagree or strongly disagree that there is a shortage of pharmacists in W.V., compared to 9.7% in 2005. 2 As in the 2005 study, present staffing levels have a negative impact on perceived patient care. This investigation revealed that W.V. pharmacists perceive their workloads to negatively impact the time they spend with patients, their quality of care provided to patients, and their ability to resolve and prevent drug related problems. During the past six years the perceived pharmacist shortage has ameliorated in a significant way in W.V. The results of this study support the ADI data. It might be prudent for colleges and universities contemplating opening pharmacy schools to reexamine their reasons for doing so. Based on our study opening additional SOPs in W.V. may result in significant surpluses of pharmacists in the near future. Staffing statement S.A. (%) A (%) N (%) D (%) S.D (%) Years05110511051105110511 Shortage of pharmacists in WV 32.92.748.613.88.623.5 9.236.2 0.523.7 Greater shortage of pharmacists in rural areas of WV 28.313.247.442.019.128.1 4.612.0 0.514.6 Pharmacist staffing impacts patient care 68.265.028.928.72.34.2 0.51.2 00.8 Pharmacist staffing impacts ability to counsel patients 55.457.030.427.010.19.0 6.05.8 2.41.2 Table 2. Current level of workload for pharmacist in West Virginia in 2011 Statements Very positive (%) Positive (%) Neutral (%) Negative (%) Very Negative (%) Mean (S.D.) Job performance 19(3.2)138(23.4)224(38.0)179(30.3)30(5.1)2.89(.93) Time spent with each patient 19(3.3)103(17.8)142(24.5)235(40.6)80(13.8)2.56(1.04) Quality of care provided to patients 24(4.1)126(21.8)195(33.7) 39(6.7)2.83(.98) Ability to solve drug therapy problems 25(4.3)132(22.4)193(22.8)203(34.5)35(6.0)2.85(.98) Job satisfaction 46(7.8)135(23.0)150(25.6)172(29.3)84(14.3)2.81(1.17) Ability to prevent potential errors 31(5.3)141(24.1)157(26.8)203(34.7)53(9.1)2.82(1.06) Opportunity to take adequate breaks 17(2.9)93(15.8)129(21.9)170(28.9)179(30.4)2.32(1.15)