Clients' perception of community pharmacists' services in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Client satisfaction has become an important and commonly used indicator for measuring quality in health care. There is paucity of data with regards clients' satisfaction with community pharmacy practice in Nigeria.
Objectives: This study objectives included assessing clients' perception and knowledge of pharmacists, their professional services and their satisfaction with these services. In addition, the factors contributing to their satisfaction were assessed.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2014 and February 2015, involving clients visiting community pharmacies in Owerri city, Imo state, Nigeria using self-administered questionnaire. Clients' knowledge, perception and satisfaction with services provided by community pharmacists were assessed. Factors associated with clients' satisfaction were analyzed using Chi-square. A pvalue of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The response rate to the 422 questionnaires distributed was 91.0% (384). A little above half (194, 50.5%) of the clients were males. Less than half (40.6%) of the clients could correctly identify the roles of community pharmacists. Generally, respondents indicated a high (317, 82.6%) level of overall satisfaction with the services provided by community pharmacists. Significant associations were found between clients' satisfaction and availability of drugs (p=0.025) and all the items on pharmaceutical care services rendered by pharmacists (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Clients visiting community pharmacies in Owerri have a positive perception of the services provided by pharmacists. Ensuring that the drug needs of clients are met and provision of comprehensive pharmaceutical care have been identified as possible key factors that ensure patient satisfaction.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
Share
References
International Pharmaceutical Federation FIP Community Pharmacists (2013) Available at: www.fip.org/community_pharmacy . Accessed 5th
Febraury, 2015.
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (2014). Community Pharmacy Chain. Available at: www.aacp.org/resources/student/pharmacyforyou /pharmacycareerinfo/Documents/Community_Pharmacy.pdf Accessed 13th February, 2015.
Hepler DD & Strand LM (1989). Opportunities and Responsibilities in Pharmaceutical Care. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 53, 7S-15S.
Opara AC & Kikanme LC (2006). Consumer Satisfaction with Community Pharmacies in Warri Nigeria. Research in Social and Administrative
Pharmacy 2(4): 499-511. [Abstract].
Aina, BA, Ndem, EE & Ajayi, GO (2014). Evaluation of the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Community Pharmacists towards Herbal Medicinal Products in some South-south States of Nigeria. The Nigerian Journal of Pharmacy, 48(2)69 [Abstract]
Arute JE, Onwusah OD, Aghoja CO, Oridia EU & Ojieabu WA (2010). Public Perception of Pharmacists in Delta State. The Nigerian Journal of
Pharmacy 48(2): 52-58.
Prakash B (2010). Patient Satisfaction. Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery 3(3):151-155.
Rosenthal GE & Shannon SE (1997) The Use of Patients Perceptions in the Evaluation of Health
Delivery Systems. Medical Care 35 (11), 58-68.
Ried LD, Wang F, Young H & Awiphan R (1999). Patients' Satisfaction and their Perception of the Pharmacist. Journal of American Pharmacist Association 39 (6), 835-842.
Larson LN, Rovers, JP & MacKeigan LD (2002). Patient Satisfaction with Pharmaceutical Care: Update of a Validated Instrument. Journal of American Pharmacist Association 42 (1), 44-50. Available at: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/ 436597. Accessed 6th October, 2014.
Donabedian A (1992). Quality Assurance in Health Care: Consumers' Role. Quality in Health Care 1(4):247-251.
Afolabi MO & Erhun WO (2003). Clients' response to waiting time in an out-patient pharmacy in Nigeria. Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical
Research 2 (2):207-214.
Sitzia J & Wood N (1997). Patient Satisfaction: A Review of Issues and Concepts. Social Science and Medicine, 45, 1829-43.
Anderson RT, Camacho FT & Balkrishnan R (2007). Willing to wait? The Influence of Patient Wait Time on Satisfaction with Primary Care. BMC Health Service Research 7, 31.
Muula AS, Chipeta J, Siziya S, Rudatsikira E, Mataya RH & Kataika E (2007). Human Resource Requirements for Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Scale-Up in Malawi. BMC Health Services Research. 7,208.
Aharony L & Stresser S (1993). Patient satisfaction: what we know about and what we still need to explore. Medical Care Review 50(1):49-79.
Cavaco AM, Dias JP & Bates IP (2005). Consumers' Perception of Community Pharmacy in Portugal. Pharmacy World and Science 27(1): 54-60.
Fekadu A., Mosse A. & Hailemichael Y (2011). Assessment of Clients' Satisfaction with Health Service Deliveries at Jimma University Specialized Hospital. Ethiopian Journal of Health Science, 22, 2.
Wirth F, Tabone F, Azzopardi LM, Gauci M, Zarb Adami M & Serracino-Inglott A (2011). ConsumerPerception of the Community Pharmacist and of Community Pharmacy Services in Malta. Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research 1(4): 189-194.
Al-Arifi MN (2012). Clients' Perception, Views and Satisfaction with Pharmacists' Roles as Health Care Provider in Community Pharmacy Setting at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Pharmacists Journal 20(4): 323-330.
Catic T, Jusufovic FI & Tabakovic V (2013). Clients Perception of Community Pharmacist in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Materia Socio-medica 25(3): 206-209.
Joda AE & Oyenekan OS (2013). A Comparative survey of pharmacists' perception of community pharmacy services provided in two Local
Government Areas in Lagos State. International Journal of Biology, Pharmacy and Allied Sciences 2(5): 1111-1124.
Aderemi-Williams RI & Ukwuoma GC (2014). Clients' Perception of Services Rendered by Pharmacists at Federal Medical Centre, Ebute
Metta, Lagos Nigeria. West African Journal of Pharmacy 25(1): 137 (Abstract).
Al-Akshar S, Metwaly Z & Shamssain M (2014). Clients' Perception of Community Pharmacy Practice in UAE: An Overview. Journal of
Pharmacy 4(11): 08-14.
Araoye MO (2004). Research Methodology with Statistics for Health and Social Sciences. Ilorin, Nigeria: Nathadex Publisher.
Lang JR & Fullerton SD (1992). The components of satisfaction with outpatient pharmacy services. Health Mark Q 10(1-2): 143-54.
Igbanugo IS, Dabi IS & Abah IO (2014). Perception of Pharmaceutical Care roles of pharmacists among in-clients in a tertiary care facility in Jos City Nigeria. British Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 4(11): 1332-341.
The Ratiopharm CFP Report on Pharmacy Services. Consumers' Perception of Pharmacy. Available at:
www.msp.mb.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2014/03./ratiopharm_consumer_perception_.pd f Accessed 15th February, 2015
Greenhalgh T & Heath I (2011). Measuring Quality in the Therapeutic Relationship. Group Inquiring Discussion Paper Available at: Accessed 12th February, 2015.
Bawazir SA (2004). Consumer attitudes towards community pharmacy services in Saudi Arabia International Journal of Pharmacy Practice
: 83-89.
Aldana MJ, Piechulek H, Al-Sabir A (2001). Client Satisfaction and Quality of Health Care in Rural Bangladesh. Bulletin of World Health Organisation. 79: 512 -517.
Singh H, Haqq ED & Mustapha N (1999). Patients' Perception and Satisfaction with Health Care Professionals at Primary Care Facilities in Trinidad and Tobago. Bulletin of World Health Organisation 77: 356-358.
Kamei M, Teshima K, Fukushima N & Nakamura T (2001). Investigation of clients' demand for community pharmacies: relationship between pharmacy services and patient satisfaction. Yakugaku Zasshi 121(3): 215-20.
Wathoni N & Rahayu SA (2001). A Survey of consumer expectation in community pharmacies in Bandung, Indonesia. Journal of Applied
Pharmaceutical Science 4(1): 84-90.
Naik Panvelker P, Saini B, Armour C. Measurement of patient satisfaction with community pharmacy services: a review. Pharmacy World & Science 31:525-537.
Andrade TU, Burini DM, Mello MO, Bersácula NS, Saliba RAD, Bravim FT, Bissolli NS (2009). Evaluation of the Satisfaction Level of Patients
attended by a Pharmaceutical Care Program in a Private Communitarian Pharmacy in Vitoria (Es Brazil). Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical
Sciences 45(2): 349 – 55.
Lee S, Godwin OP, Kyungah K and Lee E (2015). Lam Predictive Factors of Patient Satisfaction with Pharmacy Services in South Korea: A CrossSectional Study of National Level Data. PLoS One. 5; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142269
Birhanu Z, Tsion A, Woldie M & Morankar S (2010). Determinants of satisfaction with Health Care Provider Interactions at Health Centres in Central Ethiopia: A Cross Sectional Study. Biomedical Central Health Services Research, 10, 78 Available from:
http://www.biomedicalcentral.com/14726963/10/78. Accessed 22nd October, 2014.
Desselle SP, Zgarrick DP & Alston GL (eds.) (2009). Pharmacy Management: Essentials for All Practice Settings, 2nd ed. New York, McGrawHill. pp. 209-337.
Ensuring Good Dispensing Practice Available at: www.apps.who.int/medicinedocs/documents/s19 607en/s19607en.pdf Accessed 1st
March, 2016.
Workye M, Admasu S, Abura T, Belete Y, Getaye Y, Teni FS, et al. (2015). Clients' expectations from and study. Integrated Pharmacy Research and Practice satisfaction with medicine retail outlets in Gondar 4: 1 - 12. town, northwestern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional