Have you been denied medication at a pharmacy? Please fill out this anonymous survey, and help us understand the problem of pharmacy refusals better!
Overview
Born out of the 2024 Datathon4Justice, this research lab was formed by a diverse group of data scientists driven by a shared commitment to promoting equitable healthcare access. Their research started as a broad investigation of incidents where pharmacists refuse to fill a prescription for a patient.
The Pharmacy Refusal Lab is interested in answering questions such as
- Are there particular prescriptions that face pharmacy refusals more often than others?
- Are there regions in which the occurrence of a pharmacy refusal is more likely?
- Are there implicit biases involved in a pharmacy refusal?
At QSIDE, we feel it is important for patients to know where they can go to receive the care they need, and pharmacy accessibility is included in healthcare access. We’ve created a survey to collect and aggregate data so that patients can be better informed. The survey is completely optional and anonymous so that patients can feel safe and secure reporting their experiences with refusal-to-fill incidents. Additionally, any data that is shared publicly to raise awareness will be aggregated to avoid patient identification.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why this study?
In many states, it is legal for a pharmacist to refuse to fill a prescription due to personal or religious beliefs. We’d like to understand where, why, and for whom prescriptions are refused at the pharmacy window so that patients can be better informed. There is currently very little existing data on the issue, and it is not all in one place.
What are you doing to protect my privacy?
The biggest contribution of this research project will be the ethical collection and ethical sharing of the data. The survey is completely anonymous, and participants are welcome to leave any survey questions or parts of questions blank if they are uncomfortable sharing that information.
Raw survey data will be stored in a password-protected database, and only our small team of researchers at QSIDE will have access to survey data. Any data that is published will be presented in aggregate form so that individual participants cannot be identified.
Who can I contact with concerns or suggestions?
Feel free to contact Amanda Landi (amanda.landi@qsideinstitute.org) with questions, suggestions, or concerns about the survey. You may use an anonymous email if you’d like to preserve your anonymity as a participant.
Who is sponsoring this research?
This research is sponsored by the QSIDE Institute and approved by the Bard College at Simon’s Rock Institutional Review Board (IRB). IRB approval ensures that our research is conducted ethically and protects the rights and well-being of participants.
Help Spread the Word
Could you spread the word about this survey? Please feel free to post and share this effort as widely as you’re able to! If we can reach out to a broader audience, then it’s possible we can gather more information.
Our survey is now available in Spanish as well!
Our Team
Amanda Landi, Pharmacy Refusal Lab Director
She/Her/Hers
Amanda Landi has been a Faculty of Mathematics with Bard Academy and Bard College at Simon’s Rock (2015 – 2025) and will be a Teaching Professor of Mathematics with the College at William & Mary (Fall 2025). Amanda has published and co-published works in areas of mathematics of machine learning & data science, mathematics education, and data projects with a focus on equity and inclusion efforts. She likes to find “secret” diners in each town she visits and she can fall asleep on time even if she drinks coffee after noon.
Amanda joined the Pharmacy Refusal project because she believes in equitable healthcare access and believes that getting a prescription counts as part of a healthcare plan. Amanda hopes that the Pharmacy Refusal project will at the very least help bring attention to the issues occurring at this last, and very overlooked, step in receiving the health care patients need.
Addie Duncan, QSIDE Volunteer
She/Her/Hers
Addie Duncan is a PhD student in mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin. She began volunteering with QSIDE in Fall 2024 during the Datathon4Justice, joining the Pharmacy Refusal Team. Drawn to the intersection of data science and social justice, Addie is passionate about applying her technical skills to meaningful, real-world issues. She finds it empowering to make direct contributions to social justice initiatives through data-driven work. In addition to her studies, Addie co-organizes the Math For All in Austin conference, which promotes inclusivity and accessibility in mathematics, and she serves as a video editor for the MEET a Mathematician project.
Stanley Pritchard, QSIDE Volunteer
He/Him/His
Stanley Pritchard is a mathematics masters student at North Carolina Central University and adjunct instructor of mathematics at Durham Technical Community College in Durham, North Carolina. He received his Bachelors of Science in Mathematics with honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2023.
Broadly, he is interested in mathematics, mathematics education, and work at the intersection of mathematics and social justice. His research is in low-dimensional topology and data science, mostly concerning social/political issues. He is a firm believer that mathematics is a powerful tool for serving our communities, and that anyone with an interest in mathematics can be a mathematician with the right support. Stanley’s work on this project has included survey design, survey response solicitation, and working with lawyers and advocacy organizations to understand the current legal landscape surrounding pharmacy refusals.
Juniper Cocomello-Hayes, QSIDE Volunteer
She/Her/Hers
Juniper is an applied probabilist and math educator. She just completed a PhD in Applied Mathematics at Brown University, and stating this August, she will be an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Bucknell University. Her mathematical expertise is in stochastic processes and random networks.