Evaluating the feasibility of pharmacist-facilitated tobacco cessation interventions in independent community pharmacies in rural Appalachia

Background: Smoking rates in the United States are the highest in underserved rural regions. Thus, more points of contact are needed to link smokers to evidence-based cessation programs. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to conduct an evaluation to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and interest among rural pharmacists in implementing a pharmacist-facilitated smoking cessation program in independent community pharmacies in rural Appalachian communities in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Methods: This study utilized a complementary sequential mixed-methods approach to explore independent community pharmacists and technicians' experiences and beliefs about implementing a tobacco cessation program in their pharmacy. Results: There were 49 pharmacists or technicians who completed the survey and 7 pharmacists who participated in the interviews. Four main findings emerged from the data: 1) pharmacies can help fill the gap in tobacco cessation services in rural communities, 2) under current practice, tobacco cessation resources when offered by independent community pharmacies are not always formalized, 3) there are known barriers, such as reimbursing for services, that need to be addressed to provide tobacco cessation in an independent pharmacy setting, and 4) the Ask-Advise-Connect model is a feasible tobacco cessation approach in a pharmacy. Conclusion: Although pharmacists may be ideally situated to build capacity for smoking cessation in rural areas, smoking cessation interventions need to use existing approaches that compensate pharmacists for their time spent counseling patients. Furthermore, simple documentation and billing systems are needed to maximize utilization of tobacco cessation products and services provided in the pharmacy. (c) 2022 American Pharmacists Association (R). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study explored the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a pharmacist-facilitated smoking cessation program in independent community pharmacies in rural Appalachian communities. The findings highlighted the potential of pharmacies to provide tobacco cessation services in rural areas, but also identified barriers such as reimbursement and the need for simplified documentation and billing systems.