Satisfaction and expressed needs of pharmaceutical care services and challenges recognized by patients in South Korea

Abstract

PurposeTo assess the degree of satisfaction and expressed needs of pharmaceutical care services in patients with chronic diseases and explore the factors related to the needs from patients’ perspectives for the further development of pharmaceutical care service models.Patients and methodsA cross-sectional survey of 220 patients (mean age ± SD: 61.3±13.1, male:female: 104:116) was conducted. The questionnaire was structured to measure patients’ degree of satisfaction and expressed needs using a 5-point Likert scale. Additionally, preferred duration, methods of service delivery, and willingness to pay were surveyed. Responses were analyzed using an ordinal regression method to predict factors that were related to pharmaceutical care services.ResultsSixty-seven patients had experienced pharmaceutical care services. Their satisfaction levels were high in all categories; however, there were no significant differences between categories. The levels of expressed needs were similar among categories without significant differences. The preferred delivery method was a face-to-face conversation combined with being provided with written information (53.2%). The preferred duration was ≤10 min (70.5%). About 48% of the patients showed willingness to pay for the service. Education level and region influenced patients’ needs.ConclusionThe satisfaction and needs of pharmaceutical care services was very positive; however, noticing only a third of patients experienced pharmaceutical care services, this may indicate a lack of awareness and less appreciation of pharmacists by patients. Details concerning patients’ awareness and the value of pharmaceutical care services require further investigation.

Exploring satisfaction level among outpatients regarding pharmacy facilities and services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; a large regional analysis

“…Pharmacists, in collaboration with other health professionals, have a responsibility to improve the quality of care among patients [ 4 , 5 ]. Since the healthcare system has shifted from episodic care to population health management and from volume to value-based care, the role of pharmacists and their contribution has been emphasized in treatment and prevention of chronic diseases and their related complications [ 6 , 7 ]. The outpatient hospital pharmacy (OPh) is a priority area of the pharmacy department in hospitals owing to a large number of visiting patients and the subsequent economic impact on the healthcare system.…”

Service design oriented multidisciplinary collaborative team care service model development for resolving drug related problems

“…Through qualitative, quantitative, and service design research, we found that physicians and nurses regularly were unable to obtain accurate patient medication histories, patient compliance, and information about new drugs ( Fig 2 ) [ 10 ]. From the patient perspective, patients were frequently burdened by medication self-management, which is a problem exacerbated by common co-morbidities and/or the use of multiple medications [ 17 ]. We also found that patients wanted to receive special services at all time-points, including before and after meeting with a physician, after receiving a prescription, and after dispensing medication at a hospital [ 17 ].…”

“…From the patient perspective, patients were frequently burdened by medication self-management, which is a problem exacerbated by common co-morbidities and/or the use of multiple medications [ 17 ]. We also found that patients wanted to receive special services at all time-points, including before and after meeting with a physician, after receiving a prescription, and after dispensing medication at a hospital [ 17 ]. Thus, the unmet needs were identified as: unintended medication discrepancies during hospital admission, inappropriate medication use in complex treatment regimens, low medication compliance of patients with chronic diseases, and limited drug information for healthcare providers.…”

“…Finally, we conducted focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with 18 physicians and 15 nurses to gather information about their interests and discomfort in current services, as well as their expectations for new MTC services [ 10 ]. We also completed face-to-face surveys with 219 patients and focused on identifying their needs for improved MTC services [ 10 , 17 ]. The resulting interview data was coded into themes and categories of decision-making processes [ 18 , 19 ].…”

Satisfaction towards the services provided by the community pharmacist in north-west India: A qualitative exploratory study

“…The pharmacists' advice on the non-pharmacological management of diseases was on the lower level of satisfaction, in fact, the pharmacist has to make his/her clients aware about the available non-pharmacological options for their treatment. 18 As best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study of this kind in India, which tried to assess the satisfaction of patients in context to the services and facilities provided by the community pharmacist. The results of the previously conducted studies on patients' perception and satisfaction towards the services provided were varied from country to country.…”