Study Links Promotional Challenges to Patient Use of HIV Screenings in Pharmacies

Pharmacists might be able to increase the number of patients who seek point-of-care screening for HIV with improved advertisement and marketing for the service. A survey of Iowa pharmacists showed the difficulties of advertising and marketing as the main barrier for getting patients to receive point-of-care HIV screenings.¹

The study was conducted by a team affiliated with Greenwood Pharmacy and Compounding Center, Waterloo, Iowa; and the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, led by Madison R. McDonald, PharmD. Results of the study were presented with a poster and presentation by McDonald during the virtual 2021 American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Annual Meeting and Exposition.¹

Supported by funding provided by the APhA Foundation, this study was started in January 2019 and conducted with a dozen community pharmacies, including 3 in health care facilities. These pharmacies were all participating in the Iowa Pharmacy Association/Iowa Department of Health HIV screening project,¹ which implements routine HIV screenings in community-based pharmacies within high-risk counties and provides technical assistance and training to pharmacists.²

The goal of the program was to increase access to HIV screening services in the communities served by the studied pharmacies. According to McDonald, a PGY-1 community-based pharmacy resident at Greenwood Pharmacy and Compounding Center, HIV point-of-care screenings were provided at no cost to the patients using the service.¹

“The point-of-care HIV screening service is a multi-step process that includes the point-of-care screening itself as well as patient counsel prior to and following the test results, as well as a referral for any reactive or otherwise known as a preliminary positive result” McDonald said during her presentation.¹

Investigators assessed the program at each studied site through a 2-part electronic survey. The surveys were completed by pharmacy team members who had completed training for HIV point-of-care screening. According to McDonald, the responding individuals included clinical pharmacists, pharmacy managers, and pharmacy co-owners.¹

Pharmacists surveyed indicated they worked to overcome the marketing barrier by using social media, local news outlets, and in-pharmacy advertisements to draw attention to the HIV screening service.¹

In addition to marketing and advertising challenges, barriers to care cited by respondents included interest within their communities, and pharmacists’ time. Investigators also noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the screening program with fewer patients seeking the service once face-to-face interactions became limited, starting in early 2020.¹

Investigators also found that although some participating pharmacists had no prior experience with point-of-care testing, the majority of respondents reported being comfortable with providing the HIV screenings as well as patient education after receiving training. However, some participating pharmacists expressed a desire for more training for counseling patients about screening results.¹

REFERENCE

1. McDonald MR, Witry MJ, Veach S, Urmie J, Nichols RE. Evaluation of barriers and facilitators to providing point-of-care HIV screenings in the community pharmacy setting. Presented at: 2021 APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition; virtual. March 12-15, 2021.
2. HIV and HCM screening project resources. Iowa Pharmacy Association. Accessed March 16, 2021. https://www.iarx.org/hivscreenings