More than half of patients are unaware that pharmacists offer healthy living advice and a third do not realise that pharmacists can review their medicines, a survey has found. 

The survey of 1,500 patients, carried out by Pfizer over three weeks in July, also found that 45 per cent were unaware that they could drop into a pharmacy for advice on quitting smoking.

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	A higher number of patients knew they could get general advice on medicines, according to the figures released to C+D this week (December 3). Of those surveyed, 84 per cent recognised they could go to their pharmacy for information on prescription medicines and 89 per cent were aware they could receive information and advice on over–the-counter medicines.

The survey asked patients whether they were aware of five different pharmacy services. Pfizer released its findings after it re-launched its public campaign last month to encourage patients to visit their pharmacies for medicine adherence advice.

The campaign, which previously ran in September last year and was backed by the NPA, PSNC, Pharmacy Voice and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, aimed to highlight the vital role pharmacies could play in helping people get their best of their medicines. It was part of Pfizer's focus on medicine optimisation, it said.  

Professor Rob Horne at the UCL School of Pharmacy, who developed the survey, called for more communication between patients and pharmacists. "One of the most important things we can do to ensure that people are getting the best out of their medicines is to encourage honest and open communication between the public and their healthcare professionals," he said.

The survey also revealed that three-quarters of patients said they were more likely to take their medicines properly if they had understood more about them. Pfizer said the findings were a good indication of why the NHS was losing £300 million a year in medicines waste.   

PSNC chief executive Sue Sharpe said the survey results confirmed the challenge that the NHS faced in helping patients get the most out of their medicines, removing medicine waste and reducing the risk of harm.

"The campaign rightly highlights pharmacies as the place to go for help with medicines, and we hope it will further support the efforts pharmacies are making to help patients to get more from their medicines," she said.

Pharmacy posters are available to download from www.pfizer.co.uk.