Background: Pharmacists can offer medication expertise to help better control diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and improve patient outcomes, particularly in rural communities. This project evaluated the impact of an awareness campaign on perceptions of expanded pharmacy services. Methods: The “Your Pharmacists Knows” campaign included a 30-s commercial, print material, and media announcements. A non-randomized pre-post study was completed using a modified theory of planned behavior (mTPB) to assess knowledge, attitude, perceived benefits and norms, and perceived control. A 73-item survey was administered to a convenience sample (n = 172) across South Dakota. Regression models to assess intent and utilization were conducted using age, gender, race, education, population, and insurance status as predictors for mTPB constructs. Results: Most common predictors were female gender and higher education level (p < 0.001). All mTPB constructs were significant predictors of intent to use services (p < 0.001). Knowledge and perceived control had the largest influence on intent. Additionally, there was significant improvement in post-campaign service utilization (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This campaign positively influenced intent to seek and utilize services in rural communities where pharmacies may be the only healthcare option for miles. Through targeted campaigns, patients with diabetes or CVD may find access to services to better manage their conditions.
There are about 1.1 million people currently living with HIV and 15% are unaware of their HIV status. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is a prophylactic treatment with the use of Anti-Retro Viral (ARV) medications to prevent HIV transmission. The current study used secondary de-identified data from clinic visits between August 1, 2022, to Jan 31, 2023, to evaluate the impact of one-way SMS communication to increase PrEP uptake in non-HIV, STI testing patients. Participants (n=13485) were 57.6 % male, age 28.5 ±7.9, and 63.2% heterosexual. Data was obtained from a large urban STI clinic in the Southwestern United States. Primary analyses consisted of generalized linear modeling (GLM) using two models to evaluate both main effects and time interaction. There was a significant increase in post-intervention PrEP uptake (P