388 Evaluation of a Community Pharmacist Provided Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Consultation Service

F.G. Penchi; T. Bullock; M. Witry; S. Veach; J. Johnson

doi:10.1016/j.japh.2026.103397

Objectives This study aims to evaluate a hormone replacement therapy consulting service at a rural community pharmacy. The objectives are to: 1) describe the service process 2) describe participating patients, their needs, and pharmacist recommendations, and 3) assess patient satisfaction and feedback of the pharmacist-led consultation service. Over 1 million women in the U.S. enter menopause every year, and many experience symptoms, including hot flashes. The use of hormone replacement therapy to treat vasomotor and other symptoms is underused and can vary for women in different stages of menopause. Making decisions about Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can be overwhelming, given the different treatments and administration routes. Pharmacists are well-positioned to provide education on different types of HRT, their benefits and risks, make tailored recommendations, and assist patients in making informed decisions for those seeking treatment. A pharmacist-provided HRT consultation service, including medication review, laboratory test review, making treatment recommendations with prescriber collaboration, and follow-up, may meet this patient's needs. This service is expected to empower women in the community to make educated decisions regarding their healthcare. At the same time, it is aiming to broaden and explore a new pharmacist role under a standard of care regulatory model, which was recently passed in Iowa. Methods Osterhaus Pharmacy recently initiated consultations for individuals interested in HRT. Patients may partake in the HRT consultation service after self-expressed interest at the pharmacy, via pharmacist-identified need, or by referral from a health care provider. Participating patients complete an initial questionnaire to determine current symptoms of concern. The pharmacist then discusses the hormone level test via saliva or serological lab work. Once the lab results are received, the patient meets with the pharmacist for an approximately 1-hour appointment to discuss results and how they relate to symptoms identified in the initial questionnaire. The pharmacist offers a range of potential treatment options, including HRT, functional medicine alternatives, and non-pharmacologic (lifestyle) modifications. Following a shared-decision-making discussion, recommendations are sent to the provider of choice for review and further assessment. The pharmacist will follow up with the patient at 30 days following initial treatment initiation. A survey will be used to measure patient satisfaction with the HRT consultation service. Participants will be provided with a survey via printed paper or QR code on a paper handout to be completed electronically via Qualtrics. Surveys completed on paper will be transcribed electronically into Qualtrics for data collection. Patient Population: Women who have completed HRT consultation at Osterhaus Pharmacy between June 2025 and January 2026 and received follow-up at 30 days from the completed consultation. Survey: The survey will include the following domains: service, education, and management. These domains will help gather data resulting from the HRT consultation experience. The service domain focuses on the convenience and accessibility of the consultation. Education to assess if the information provided was useful, understandable, and helpful. Management to assess patients' overall satisfaction with the consultation. Data Analysis: Each patient folder will be deidentified, and all recommendations made by pharmacists will be categorized in appropriate domains. The pharmacist's recommendations may be categorized as HRT, OTC, lifestyle modifications, or a combination. The data for patient satisfaction will be collected from the survey and analyzed descriptively. Surveys submitted on paper will be digitally transcribed. Results Research in progress. As of August 27, 2025, 11 eligible patients have participated in HRT consultations. Conclusions/Implications This project will evaluate a pharmacist-led HRT consultation service in a rural pharmacy and offer insights into participant characteristics, patient needs, pharmacist recommendations for treatment, and patient satisfaction. These findings are expected to provide evidence for future implementation strategies tailored to rural pharmacy settings, with potential scalability to other settings.

388 Evaluation of a Community Pharmacist Provided Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Consultation Service

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