Canadian Pharmacists and Natural Health Products: Identifying Professional Responsibilities

Natural health products (NHPs) are increasingly sold in pharmacies. The purpose of this study was to determine Canadian pharmacists’ attitudes about their professional responsibilities regarding natural health products. A cross-sectional, random sample survey design was used: 3356 questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of licensed pharmacists in all provinces/territories in Canada (except Nunavut). Survey responses were evaluated using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses. Response rate was 61%. Overall, respondents were most likely to endorse pharmacist responsibilities related to vitamins and minerals, followed by herbal medicines, then homeopathic medicines. Responsibilities regarding knowledge of NHPs and counseling on NHPs were more frequently endorsed than responsibilities associated with NHP-related documentation. Self-reported knowledge was positively associated with endorsement of NHP-related responsibilities for all NHP types.MAS