Health outcomes assessment in community pharmacy practices: a feasibility project.

Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and benefit of capturing outcomes data in community pharmacy settings, and to characterize the health status, resource use, and medication use of patients with musculoskeletal disorders.

Methods: Patients (n = 460) with musculoskeletal disorders including osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and low back pain from 12 community pharmacy sites responded to disease-specific questions, the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) health survey, demographics, and resource use using touch screen computer technology. Patients provided information and met with a community pharmacist for scheduled visits at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.