Consumer Satisfaction with Pharmaceutical Care in Slovak Community Pharmacies
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Acta Fac. Pharm. Univ. Comen. LXII, 2015 (1): 25-30. ISSN 1338-6786 (online) and ISSN 0301-2298 (print version), DOI: 10.2478/afpuc-2014-0015 ACTA FACULTATIS PHARMACEUTICAE UNIVERSITATIS COMENIANAE Consumer satisfaction with pharmaceutical care in Slovak community pharmacies Spokojnosť klientov lekární s lekárenskou starostlivosťou na Slovensku Original research article Mináriková, D. , Malovecká, I., Foltán, V. Comenius University in Bratislava, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, Faculty of Pharmacy, / Farmaceutická fakulta, Department of Organisation Katedra organizácie a riadenia farmácie and Management in Pharmacy Registered 29 October 2014, accepted 17 December 2014 Abstract The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate consumer satisfaction with pharmaceutical care provided in community pharmacies at the region level. Expectations and opinions of consumers were also confronted with the assumptions of pharmacists. Up to 82.0% of consumers conrmed their satisfaction with the care given to them by the pharmacist. A key factor of consumer satisfaction has been the professional (78.7%) and human approach (83.5%) of the pharmacist. A total of 73.6% of consumers in the survey accepted the pharmacist as an expert in medicines. The pharmacist´s self-evaluation was more negative. Monitoring and evaluation of consumer satisfactory with pharmaceutical care is not only essential for improvement of the quality of the healthcare system and for the implementation of pharmaceutical care focussed on the patient, but it may inuence the economic and nancial outcomes of entities providing pharmaceutical care in community pharmacies. Slovak Cieľom tejto pilotnej štúdie bolo zhodnotiť spokojnosť zákazníkov s lekárenskou starostlivosťou poskytovanou vo verejných abstract lekárňach na lokálnej úrovni. Očakávania a názory zákazníkov boli zároveň porovnané s predpokladmi lekárnikov. Až 82,0% zákazníkov potvrdilo svoju spokojnosť so starostlivosťou, ktorú im poskytuje lekárnik. Ako kľúčový faktor spokojnosti zákazníkov sa ukázal profesionálny (78,7%) a ľudský prístup (83,5%) lekárnika. 73,6% zákazníkov v našom prieskume akceptovalo lekárnika ako odborníka na lieky. Sebahodnotenie lekárnikov bolo negatívnejšie. Monitoring a hodnotenie spokojnosti zákazníkov s lekárenskou starostlivosťou je nevyhnutné nielen pre zlepšenie kvality systému zdravotnej starostlivosti a pre implementáciu lekárenskej starostlivosti orientovanej na pacienta, ale môže ovplyvniť ekonomické a nančné výsledky subjektov poskytujúcich lekárenskú starostlivosť vo verejných lekárňach. Keywords Consumer – Pharmacist – Satisfaction – Pharmaceutical Care – Community Pharmacy Kľúčové spotrebiteľ – lekárnik – spokojnosť – lekárenská starostlivosť – verejná lekáreň slová: 1. INTRODUCTION Pharmaceutical care in Slovakia is legislative dened as one care is dened by law. It includes quality assurance, storage, of the forms of provided healthcare services, and is explained preparation, control and supply of medicines, medical devices as a set of work activities performed by healthcare workers, and dietary foods including internet dispensing and also and includes the provision of medicines, medical devices and involves providing professional information and supervision dietary foods in order to prolong life of an individual, raise of medicines and medical devices. In 2006, the new concept the quality of his/her life and healthy development of the of healthcare in Slovakia came in the eld of community future generations (Ministry of Health. Law on pharmacy, No pharmacy and clinical pharmacy (Ministry of Health. The 576/2004). It is provided under permission in health facilities concept of healthcare in the eld of clinical pharmacy, 2006). of pharmaceutical care, such as community pharmacy, The attention of both concepts is focused on clinical pharmacy a branch of community pharmacy, a hospital pharmacy and activities in Slovakia according to European and global a dispensary of medical devices (Ministry of Health. Law on orientation, in the meaning of ‘pharmaceutical care’ (Mikeal et pharmacy, No 362/2011). The content of pharmaceutical al, 1975, Hepler & Strand, 1990, FIP Statement of professional * E-mail: [email protected] © Acta Facultatis Pharmaceuticae Universitatis Comenianae PB Brought to you by | Comenius University Bratislava 25 Authenticated Download Date | 8/19/15 1:18 PM Acta Fac. Pharm. Univ. Comen. LXII, 2015 (1): 25-30. Consumer satisfaction with pharmaceutical care In slovak community pharmacies Mináriková, D., Malovecká, I., Foltán, V. standards pharmaceutical care, 1998). The pharmaceutical administered questionnaire (Larson et al, 2002, Traverso et care slightly deviates from orientation on the traditional al, 2007). The content of the questionnaire was identical for dispensing and sale of medicines. It begins to concentrate on both lines for the purpose of comparison. The results were the patient, although there are various barriers that hamper processed by Microsoft Windows 7 and Excel. its implementation in Slovakia, as in other countries (Foltan, 2012, Magulova & Foltanova, 2008). 3. RESULTS Slovakia is an independent country and a member of the European Union with a total population of around 5.4 million There were 134 consumers randomly surveyed (Table 1). The inhabitants (Sight of the Regions of Slovakia 2008–2012, total number of fully completed questionnaires was 129; ve 2014) and 1730 community pharmacies (Health Yearbook questionnaires were incomplete and therefore, not included 2012, 2014). The pharmacy to population ratio in Slovakia is in the nal analysis. There were 20 pharmacists surveyed approximately 1:3128. The entities providing pharmaceutical (Table 2). The total number of fully completed questionnaires care in Slovakia are regulated by legal norms, allowing was 20. Afterwards, all questionnaires were further evaluated. them to choose the legal form of business – either sole proprietorships or partnerships (Ministry of Justice. Coll. Act Table 1. The consumers’ socio-demographic prole (n = 129) on Small Business, No. 455/1991). The success and survival of entities in the market Together (%) environment depends on many factors. Entities are Women 86 (66.6%) providing pharmaceutical care business in strict and Gender restrictive legislative and economic environment (Malovecka Men 43 (33.4%) et al, 2014). The current oer of pharmaceutical care in ≤35 48 (37.2%) community pharmacies exceeds demand; the consumer has Age (years) 36–55 53 (41.1%) a choice, therefore, consumer´s satisfaction begins to play >55 28 (21.7%) an important role in providing of pharmaceutical care. This situation creates an increasingly important space to ‘ght for Basic 12 (9.3%) consumers.’ It should be taken into account that consumer Education Secondary 71 (55.0%) satisfaction with the community pharmacy is subjective Higher 46 (35.7%) and reects the care provided, as well as his preferences and Regular, long-term 49 (38.0%) expectations (Kucukarslan & Schommer, 2002). Studies have Taking Occasionally 29 (22.5%) shown that the consumer can be more satised if the aim of medication pharmaceutical care is focused on a patient. That results in Rarely 51 (39.5%) improvement of patient’s compliance and rise in the quality Number of 1 25 (19.4%) of life (Andrade et al, 2009, Bernsten et al, 2001, Silva et al, attending 2–3 46 (35.7%) 2012). We believe that consumer satisfaction can signicantly pharmacies >3 58 (44.9%) contribute and inuence the economic and nancial situation of the community pharmacies. The evaluation of care provided in community pharmacies Table 2. The pharmacists’ socio-demographic prole (n = 20) in relation to the consumer satisfaction is rare in Slovakia. This work has the character of a pilot study carried out at Together (%) the region level to monitor consumer satisfaction with the Women 17 (85.0%) pharmaceutical care provided in community pharmacy. In Gender addition, the aim was the confrontation of the consumers’ Men 3 (15.0%) and pharmacists’ reviews and evaluations. ≤35 9 (45.0%) Age (years) 36–55 7 (35.0%) 2. METHODS >55 4 (20.0%) Near medical To evaluate consumer satisfaction, a voluntary anonymous 14 (70.0%) equipment questionnaire survey was conducted in community Location of pharmacies pharmacies in a randomly selected town in Slovakia in the Other 6 (30.0%) time span from November to December 2012. The survey was The average number <100 3 (15.0%) led in two parallel lines – consumers’ line and pharmacists’ of visitors per day in 101–200 8 (40.0%) line. From 13 community pharmacies (62% of total amount), community pharmacy >200 9 (45.0%) 134 consumers and 20 pharmacists participated in the survey. Various literature sources were reviewed to develop the self- 26 Brought to you by | Comenius University Bratislava 27 Authenticated Download Date | 8/19/15 1:18 PM Acta Fac. Pharm. Univ. Comen. LXII, 2015 (Suppl IX): 25-30. Consumer satisfaction with pharmaceutical care In slovak community pharmacies Mináriková, D., Malovecká, I., Foltán, V. 3.1 Consumer satisfaction with pharmaceutical care obvious dissatisfaction with the oer of generic substitution by the pharmacist (18.0%) and with the oer of discounts and To evaluate the total consumer satisfaction with the visit of loyalty schemes (23.9%). community pharmacies, a four-speed range of responses Also assessed were factors that were signicant and was used (‘always completely satised’, ‘mostly satised’, insignicant for consumer satisfaction in providing ‘dissatised sometimes’ and ‘often dissatised’).