(1215) Prioritizing Patient Values Regarding Pharmacy Culture in a Lgbtq+-focused Pharmacy

Objectives: A research study has been previously completed at these LGBTQ+-focused community pharmacies, which showed the need to further understand patient priorities when it comes to pharmacy culture. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO IDENTIFY AND PRIORITIZE PHARMACY CULTURE PATIENTS VALUE AT A LGBTQ+-FOCUSED COMMUNITY PHARMACY. THE SECONDARY OBJECTIVE IS TO DETERMINE IF THERE ARE DIFFERENCES IN PATIENT PRIORITIES BASED ON SELF-REPORTED PATIENT IDENTITIES.

A report by Casey et. al. explored the reported experiences of discrimination LGBTQ+ people face in the United States by surveying 489 LGBTQ+ adults across the country. THIS 2019 STUDY FOUND 91% Of respondents noted they believe discrimination is still highly prevalent towards LGBTQ+ people in the United States, and 16% responded they had experienced direct discrimination at a health clinic. These results highlight the additional barriers LGBTQ+ people face when attempting to gain access to healthcare because of direct or feared discrimination, contributing to poor health outcomes.

A study published by Berenbrok et. al. in 2022 noted 96.5% of people in the United States live within a 10-mile radius of a community pharmacy. This places pharmacists in a unique position to advocate and care for the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. Few resources exist for pharmacies on how to best care for this patient population. Recently, the Human Rights Campaign and the American Pharmacist’s Assocation (APhA) released a guide called: Providing Inclusive Care and Services for the Transgender and Gender Diverse Community, which lists steps for pharmacies to take to be more inclusive to the transgender population in their services. While this document provides helpful information regarding the inclusion of transgender patients into the pharmacy space, it does not provide patient perspectives on pharmacy culture as it RELATES TO INCLUSIVITY NOR EXPANDS BEYOND THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY. PHARMACY CULTURE WILL BE DEFINED IN THIS STUDY AS ENCOMPASSING THE SERVICES, LANGUAGE, VISUALS, AND VALUES OF THE PHARMACY.

DUE IN PART TO THE LIMITED PUBLISHED PATIENT PERSPECTIVES IN THIS AREA, PATIENT BARRIERS AND A LACK OF PROVIDER UNDERSTANDING, A NEED REMAINS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW TO SERVE THIS COMMUNITY. GATHERING PATIENT PERSPECTIVES OF PHARMACY CULTURE THROUGH THIS RESEARCH STUDY MAY DEMONSTRATE HOW PHARMACIES CAN PROVIDE IMPROVED CARE TO THIS PATIENT POPULATION.

Methods: This cross-sectional study will survey patients in four LGBTQ+ community-based health-system pharmacies across Ohio. Participants will be at least 18 years of age and self-report their gender, sex, and sexuality. Participation is voluntary and anonymous. This survey will be disseminated in person at the point of sale through the platform REDCap. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ASKED TO ASSESS THE IMPORTANCE OF 17 SERVICES OFFERED BY THESE PHARMACIES THROUGH A LIKERT SCALE QUESTION FORMAT. PARTICIPANTS WILL THEN BE ASKED TO CHOOSE THE TOP 3 MOST IMPORTANT GENERAL SERVICES COMMON ACROSS COMMUNITY PHARMACIES AND THE TOP 3 MOST IMPORTANT SERVICES RELATED TO INCLUSIVITY EFFORTS AT EQUITAS HEALTH PHARMACIES. RESPONSES WILL BE COLLECTED OVER A 30-DAY PERIOD.

Results: Research in progress. ANALYSIS WILL INCLUDE DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS AND INFERENTIAL STATISTICS WHERE APPROPRIATE FOR COMPARISONS BETWEEN GROUPS.

Conclusions: Research in progress.