Knowledge and Perceptions of Pharmacogenomics among Mississippi Pharmacists

Author

Nicholas DeanFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-9-2024

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Pharmacy Administration

First Advisor

Erin Holmes

Second Advisor

Meagen Rosenthal

Third Advisor

John Rimoldi

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Pharmacogenomics (PGx), an area of study that relates a patient’s genetics to the medicines they take, has been shown to be an effective alternative to trial-and-error prescribing. Despite the benefits pharmacogenomics may bring, pharmacists, while optimistic about the practice, appear to lack knowledge and access to other resources to bring PGx to the front lines of practice. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess Mississippi pharmacists’ knowledge and attitudes about PGx, readiness for practice of PGx, their education needs for PGx, their application of PGx in practice, and their perception of the ethics of PGx practice.

A cross-sectional online survey was administered to 652 members of the Mississippi Pharmacists Association (MPhA) in the summer of 2022, followed by snowball sampling to increase response rate. Twenty-eight usable responses were analyzed. The results suggest that pharmacists may have limited basic knowledge on PGx, though definitely lack the confidence to apply it. Despite the lack of confidence in their knowledge about PGx and the lack of its use, the pharmacists’ impressions of PGx were notably positive. Most also indicated that learning more about the subject would be top priority. The respondents overwhelmingly agreed that they would be comfortable having PGx info used to determine their patient’s drug therapy, yet they were on the fence when asked if they would be concerned about submitting their own DNA sample to analyze their PGx profile.

Results also reflected a need for further education into PGx if these pharmacists are to feel ready to apply PGx into practice. Due to low response rates to this survey, results should be interpreted with caution. Future research should employ qualitative data collection methods (such as in-depth interviews or focus groups) to provide a deeper understanding of pharmacists’ experience with pharmacogenomics.

Recommended Citation

Dean, Nicholas, "Knowledge and Perceptions of Pharmacogenomics among Mississippi Pharmacists" (2024). Honors Theses. 3127.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3127