Patient and public perception and experience of community pharmacy services post-discharge in the UK: a rapid review and qualitative study

Abstract

ObjectivesTo investigate the perception and experience of patients and the public (PP) about community pharmacy (CP) services and other primary care services after hospital discharge back home.Design and settingA rapid review and qualitative study exploring PP perceptions of primary care, focusing on CP services in the UK.MethodsA mixed-methods approach was adopted including a rapid review undertaken between 24 April and 8 May 2019 across four databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINAHL). Semistructured interviews were then conducted investigating for shifts in current PP perception, but also nuanced opinion pertaining to CP services. A convenience sampling technique was used through two online PP groups for recruitment. Thematic framework analysis was applied to interview transcripts.ParticipantsAny consenting adults ≥18 years old were invited regardless of their medical condition, and whether they had used post-discharge services or not.ResultsTwenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Patients were generally supportive and satisfied with primary care services. However, some barriers to the use of these services included: resource limitations; poor communication between healthcare providers or between patient and healthcare providers; and patients’ lack of awareness of available services. From the 11 interviewees, there was a lack of awareness of CP post-discharge services. Nevertheless, there was general appreciation of the benefit of CP services to patients, professionals and wider healthcare system. Potential barriers to uptake and use included: accessibility, resource availability, lack of awareness, and privacy and confidentiality issues related to information-sharing. Several participants felt the uptake of such services should be improved.ConclusionThere was alignment between the review and qualitative study about high patient acceptance, appreciation and satisfaction with primary care services post-discharge. Barriers to the use of CP post-discharge services identified from interviews resonated with the existing literature; this is despite developments in pharmacy practice in recent times towards clinical and public health services.

Publics’ Perceptions of Community Pharmacists and Satisfaction with Pharmacy Services in Al-Madinah City, Saudi Arabia: A Cross Sectional Study

“…Patient satisfaction is one of the indicators of the quality of medical and pharmacy services provided in health care settings. Several studies have investigated patient satisfaction and attitudes toward community pharmacy services [ 24 , 43 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ]. These studies revealed that satisfaction with community pharmacy services was greatly dependent on several factors, including the location of the community pharmacy, the promptness of services, and the pharmacist’s knowledge.…”

“…These studies revealed that satisfaction with community pharmacy services was greatly dependent on several factors, including the location of the community pharmacy, the promptness of services, and the pharmacist’s knowledge. In developed countries, patient satisfaction is a key factor in quality assessments of the health care system [ 44 , 47 ], whereas in developing countries, the main factor is accessibility [ 45 , 55 ]. A large proportion of the public in the Middle East does not consider the provision of advice or information to be the primary role of the pharmacists; they feel pharmacists should stick to dispensing medicines [ 24 , 26 , 47 , 48 , 56 , 57 ].…”

“…In developed countries, patient satisfaction is a key factor in quality assessments of the health care system [ 44 , 47 ], whereas in developing countries, the main factor is accessibility [ 45 , 55 ]. A large proportion of the public in the Middle East does not consider the provision of advice or information to be the primary role of the pharmacists; they feel pharmacists should stick to dispensing medicines [ 24 , 26 , 47 , 48 , 56 , 57 ]. In our study, customers expressed positive views and satisfaction with community pharmacists and pharmacy services.…”

A study to investigate the implementation process and fidelity of a hospital to community pharmacy transfer of care intervention

“…The topic guide for the PP was informed by a rapid review of the literature (included in S4 Guide ). The full PP qualitative investigation and accompanying COREQ [ 15 ] is published elsewhere [ 17 ].…”

“…A combination of inductive and deductive coding was used [ 18 ]. For the interviews with PTM, HPS and CPs, a priori codes were derived from the CFIR [ 10 ] and the CFIF [ 11 ] and for the PP interviews a priori codes were informed from a preceding rapid review of the literature as reported elsewhere [ 17 ].…”