Community pharmacists' interventions in asthma care: a descriptive study.

Background: Factors influencing community pharmacists' interventions have been identified, but little information is available regarding these factors in asthma care.
Objective: To describe the type and frequency of pharmacists' asthma care interventions and to identify factors influencing those interventions.
Methods: A pretested, self-administered questionnaire was mailed to all community pharmacists registered with the Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec in 2006. The form included questions about the pharmacists' interventions in asthma care in the community setting (21 questions), factors influencing the provision of those interventions (13 questions), and the responders' characteristics (17 questions).
Results: A total of 4587 questionnaires were sent; 917 pharmacists returned the questionnaires (response rate 20%), and 877 were eligible for analysis. Overall, community pharmacists who completed the questionnaire appeared to intervene frequently when the initial prescription for asthma medication was filled. About 98% of responders reported providing verbal information always or often on new asthma medication prescriptions. Furthermore, checking for overuse of rescue medication and underuse of maintenance therapy always or often was reported by 91% and 85.8% of responders, respectively. Other interventions at follow-up were not as frequently reported. For example, only 8.4% of pharmacists reported reassessing inhalation technique always or often. Lack of time was reported to be an important barrier to the type and frequency of intervention, while interest on the part of the patient appeared to be a significant facilitator. About 99% of pharmacists agreed with the statement that they have an important role in asthma care.
Conclusions: Community pharmacists appear to intervene with patients with asthma mostly at the initiation of treatment, but some interventions at follow-up are not frequently done, which could be attributed to organizational factors.