Arlington, Va. – Gallup released its annual Honesty and Integrity survey today, and pharmacists maintained their ranking in the second position – behind only nurses and tied with medical doctors.
The survey measures the public’s trust of diverse professions, including but also well beyond healthcare.
“The survey results reflect the remarkable trust that patients continue to place in their pharmacists, and for strong and important reasons,” said National Association of Chain Drug Stores President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE. “Pharmacists are highly educated and highly accessible professionals within the healthcare delivery system. They are highly valued in neighborhoods across America, and particularly by those in the greatest need.”
Anderson said Gallup’s findings in many ways reflect the results of annual opinion research commissioned by NACDS – a national survey of likely voters who are informed and engaged when it comes to current events.
“Our research indicates strong trust in pharmacists on matters related to prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, and personal health questions,” Anderson said. “Our research also shows that, in addition to relying on pharmacists to help them use medicines safely, patients are supportive of innovative pharmacy services that can do even more to improve patient health and quality of life.”
The exact question asked by Gallup is as follows: “Please tell me how you would rate the honesty and ethical standards of people in these different fields – very high, high, average, low or very low?” For pharmacists and medical doctors, 65-percent said “very high” or “high.” Eighty percent rated nurses “very high” or “high.”
