Title: The Impact of Free Health Screenings at Community Pharmacies on Diabetes
Authors: Jacques Allou, Jessica Amtower, Nicholas Daniels, Jeniffer George, Anna Smith, Jeb Ballentine, Pharm.D., and Emily Laswell, Pharm.D.
Background: Health screenings can be beneficial when looking to detect diseases early on, thus making treatment easier. Free health screenings are typically performed in the community pharmacy setting. This makes it convenient because it is easily accessible and there is no appointment required. Diabetes is currently one of the most significant health issues faced today, with an estimated 7 million Americans going undiagnosed. Health screenings in community pharmacies are valuable to detect high blood glucose levels for patients to be referred for diagnosis and treatment. Previous studies related to health screenings have focused on hypertension and cholesterol, and few have been conducted on diabetes alone. Extensive research has not been performed regarding patient knowledge of diabetes or on the impact of health screenings. Due to this lack of research and the prevalence of diabetes, it is essential to explore the impact of free health screenings in regards to this growing health care issue.
Objective: To assess the impact of free health screenings in community pharmacies on patient follow-up, perceptions, and knowledge of diabetes through blood glucose screenings and patient education.
Methods: Data will be collected from local Kroger pharmacies. Patients will be purposefully selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Selected patients will be given a pre-survey at baseline prior to blood glucose testing and diabetes education. Individuals with abnormally high blood glucose levels will be referred to see a physician. Referred participants will be called a month after referral regarding the follow-up with their physician and potential diabetes diagnosis. All of the subjects will be called after a month to remind them to complete the post-survey. The post-survey will be sent to individuals by mail or email a month after the pre-survey. These surveys will contain the exact same questions as the pre-survey
