WASHINGTON — Pharmacists ranked second behind nurses in an annual Gallup poll measuring the public’s trust of a range of professions.
Of the more than 800 U.S. adults polled in Gallup’s Honesty & Ethics survey, 65% rated pharmacists "very high or high" in terms of honesty and ethical standards, tied with medical doctors (65%) and ranked No. 2 behind nurses (80%).
The next highest-rated professions in the survey were police officers (48%) and clergy (46%). The three lowest-rated were advertising practitioners (10%), car salesmen (8%) and members of Congress (7%).
"The survey results reflect the remarkable trust that patients continue to place in their pharmacists, and for strong and important reasons," National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson said in a statement. "Pharmacists are highly educated and highly accessible professionals within the health care delivery system. They are highly valued in neighborhoods across America, and particularly by those in the greatest need.”
Anderson noted that Gallup poll in many ways reflects the results of annual opinion research commissioned by NACDS.
"Our research indicates strong trust in pharmacists on matters related to prescription medications, over-the-counter medications and personal health questions," he explained. "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."
Gallup pointed out that no professions have improved in their honesty and ethics ratings since 2013. Pharmacists’ rating of 65% this year, for instance, fell from 70% last year and from the profession’s all-time high of 75% in 2012.
