Pharmacists ranked No. 2 in latest Gallup ethics poll

NEW YORK — Pharmacists ranked No. 2 in Gallup's 2015 Honesty and Ethics of Professions Ratings, falling behind No. 1 ranked nurses and ahead of No. 3 ranked medical doctors.

“This annual Gallup survey presents another data point in the strong and growing case for pharmacy patient care,” said National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and CEO Steve Anderson. “NACDS’ own opinion research shows another interesting finding: that those who have more first-hand experience with pharmacist-provided services feel even more strongly about their value. These positive attitudes are translating into ever-stronger bipartisan support for pro-patient and pro-pharmacy initiatives in the U.S. Congress, as well as an expansion of the pharmacists’ scope of practice in the states.”

The Gallup poll asked the question: "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?" Of those surveyed, 68% rated pharmacists very high or high, whereas 85% said nurses rated very high or high as being honest and ethical. Only 5% of respondents rated pharmacists as low or very low.

Source: Gallup polled 824 adults living in the United States from Dec. 2 to 6.