Survey: Pharmacists overwhelmed by volume over value

Pharmacists are being stretched thin by competing job demands, as pharmacy chains prioritize prescription speed and volume over diabetes care support, a new CCS survey finds.

Between 2010 and 2021, nearly one-third of all retail pharmacies in the United States closed. These closures, concentrated in minority and low-income areas, created care deserts and cut off access to patient education and medication counseling for the 38 million Americans living with diabetes.

Meanwhile, new pharmacy graduates are increasingly hard to find, and the number of people with diabetes keeps rising, with 54.9 million Americans expected to be diagnosed by 2030.

Based on input from more than 100 licensed U.S. pharmacists, 63% feel overwhelmed by conflicting job demands, while roughly three-quarters (74%) said their job performance is measured by prescription fill rates and volume.

Of those surveyed, nearly half (45%) said patients with diabetes aren't getting enough education to manage their condition, with 43% reporting that the average counseling session lasts around five minutes.

Patient-provider interactions that last only several minutes leave little to no time to discuss lifestyle changes or device management on top of medication dosing.

Most pharmacists (89%) believe this lack of education directly contributes to poor medication adherence and misuse of diabetes devices, the report noted.

Although wearable health tools, like continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), were designed to make chronic disease management easier, the report suggests patient adoption is outpacing pharmacist support.

Almost all respondents (93%) agreed that every CGM user should receive structured onboarding education, yet only 76% offer ongoing coaching, while 42% report engagement from half or fewer diabetes patients.

Without proper guidance, patients can misinterpret data, mismanage devices or even abandon therapy. Half of the pharmacists asked said education gaps directly lead to device misuse, and one-third linked the gaps to poorer outcomes and a higher total cost of care.

The survey also found that competing financial and operational priorities are pulling pharmacists away from patient-centered care.

Many said their workloads are now divided between traditional pharmacy responsibilities, such as dispensing prescriptions, and new retail requirements, like recommending vaccines or over-the-counter products. These added duties, they said, reduce the time available for direct patient interaction and diabetes education.

The report indicates that pharmacists are willing to take on a bigger role in managing chronic diseases, but factors like conflicting economic pressures, burnout and a fragmented system, to name a few, hinder their ability to provide patient-centric care.

Alivia Kaylor is a scientist and the senior site editor of Pharma Life Sciences.