Most Americans more likely to seek non-emergency health care at pharmacies

A new survey from Wolters Kluwer Health reflects increasing trust in providers in non-traditional primary care settings.

The survey indicated that roughly 58% of Americans are likely to visit a local pharmacy as a first step when faced with a non-emergency medical issue, and 81% said they trust a pharmacist, nurse, or nurse practitioner to diagnose minor illnesses and prescribe medications.

Additionally, 56% and 54% of Generation Z and Millennials, respectively, said they visited a local pharmacy to receive care in the past year, compared with 40% of Generation Xers and 35% of Baby Boomers.

About 79% of Americans said they trusted their local pharmacy to provide care more than staff at health clinics inside department stores like Target or Walmart. The survey also indicated that 54% of Americans would go to a traditional physician’s office only for vaccinations for children; however, for influenza and other vaccinations for adults, 62% said they would go to a local pharmacy.

Additionally, 37% of U.S. consumers said they decided not to fill a prescription because of cost, and 76% supported converting many widely used, comparatively safe prescription drugs to OTC status. Doing so would help lower costs without compromising safety, according to 74% of Americans.

The survey also revealed that 86% of Americans would receive generic medications if it meant saving money, 92% felt their physician and their pharmacist should inform them of these alternatives, and 36% said they had talked with their pharmacist in the past few months about affording their medications or to see if other options were available.