Socio-Demographic Influences On Patient Reliance Towards Physicians In Medication Advice And Information
Location
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
Description
PURPOSE: To examine how socio-demographic factors, including geographic location, impact individuals’ perceptions of physicians’ roles and reliance on physicians. SUBJECTS: Data from the 2021 National Consumer Survey on Medication Experiences and Pharmacists’ Roles (N=1,522) was used. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Responses to the statements “Physicians are better than pharmacists in providing medical advice” and “Physicians provide all necessary medicine information” were recorded as dependent variables. Independent variables included urban vs. rural geographic location, age, gender, insurance status, and healthcare experience. ANALYSES: The data were analyzed using chi-square and binary logistic regression. The analysis was performed using R with the dplyr package. RESULTS: The Chi-Square test shows significant differences between rural and urban respondents regarding perceptions that physicians are better than pharmacists for medicine advice (χ²=31.22, p<0.0001) and that physicians provide all necessary medicine information (χ²=32.39, p<0.0001). Logistic regression revealed rural residents more likely agreed physicians are better for advice (urban OR=0.736, p=0.010) and provide necessary medicine information (urban OR=0.679, p<0.001). Older adults and women were less likely to agree, while respondents with insurance and those having difficulty following medication instructions were more likely to agree. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare access and patient outcomes remain important areas for research. This research could provide a better understanding of the impact of healthcare disparities among different demographics. Understanding how urban or rural residents differ in reliance on physicians will help identify possible solutions. Alternative solutions should be explored since it would be impractical to have rural infrastructure catch up to urban infrastructure.
Socio-Demographic Influences On Patient Reliance Towards Physicians In Medication Advice And Information
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
PURPOSE: To examine how socio-demographic factors, including geographic location, impact individuals’ perceptions of physicians’ roles and reliance on physicians. SUBJECTS: Data from the 2021 National Consumer Survey on Medication Experiences and Pharmacists’ Roles (N=1,522) was used. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Responses to the statements “Physicians are better than pharmacists in providing medical advice” and “Physicians provide all necessary medicine information” were recorded as dependent variables. Independent variables included urban vs. rural geographic location, age, gender, insurance status, and healthcare experience. ANALYSES: The data were analyzed using chi-square and binary logistic regression. The analysis was performed using R with the dplyr package. RESULTS: The Chi-Square test shows significant differences between rural and urban respondents regarding perceptions that physicians are better than pharmacists for medicine advice (χ²=31.22, p<0.0001) and that physicians provide all necessary medicine information (χ²=32.39, p<0.0001). Logistic regression revealed rural residents more likely agreed physicians are better for advice (urban OR=0.736, p=0.010) and provide necessary medicine information (urban OR=0.679, p<0.001). Older adults and women were less likely to agree, while respondents with insurance and those having difficulty following medication instructions were more likely to agree. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare access and patient outcomes remain important areas for research. This research could provide a better understanding of the impact of healthcare disparities among different demographics. Understanding how urban or rural residents differ in reliance on physicians will help identify possible solutions. Alternative solutions should be explored since it would be impractical to have rural infrastructure catch up to urban infrastructure.