An Exploration of Access to Tobacco Cessation Services Through Pharmacies in a Medically Underserved Area in California: Accuracy of Telephone Information Regarding Pharmacist-Furnished NRT.

Abstract

Residents of California's San Joaquin Valley (SJV) have limited access to physicians and high rates of tobacco use. To address this issue, the state permits pharmacists to independently prescribe nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Rural residents seeking information about such services may depend on telephoning pharmacies; this case study sought to determine whether information received by phone accurately aligned with information relayed in person. We collected data on pharmacist prescribing in a rural, low-resource California region in 3 stages: (1) all corporate and independent pharmacies in 11 SJV counties were identified (N = 609), (2) all eligible pharmacies (n = 586) were telephoned to determine if they provided pharmacist-prescribed NRT, then (3) researchers visited all pharmacies in 2 counties (Merced and Madera, n = 49) and requested participation in a survey regarding NRT access. No pharmacies in the sample area reported they could prescribe NRT when called; when visited in person, 10% of pharmacies (5/49) reported they could, demonstrating inaccuracies by telephone. Residents in medically-underserved, rural areas who seek information about health care by telephone may not receive accurate information compared to in-person communications, limiting their access to available, effective services in pharmacies. This includes pharmacist-prescribed NRT, which remains underutilized despite being legally authorized, reflecting broader health access challenges.