Comparative analysis of pharmaceutical care, professional development, and policy compliance in chain vs. independent pharmacies: A Cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: The rapid proliferation of community chain pharmacies management models has garnered significant attention. Despite this surge, there is a notable scarcity of research that comprehensively evaluates this model in comparison to traditional independent pharmacies. Objective: This study aims to analyze pharmacists' insights into the status of community pharmacy management models, specifically comparing chain pharmacies to traditional independent pharmacies. We employed a framework assessing 40 aspects across five critical pillars: 1) Pharmaceutical care & Patient Services, (2) Professional development and Working environment, (3) Economic considerations, (4) Legal aspects, and 5) General concerns. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study utilized a validated and reliable online survey (Lawshe's content validity ratio > 0.741, p < 0.05, Cronbach's alpha = 0.86) distributed among pharmacists. The analysis included measurements of associations and the strength of association to explore significant results. Results: A total of 835 pharmacists responded. Gender, workplace, and responder qualifications exhibited no significant association (P>0.05) with pharmacy model preferences. However, older participants and those with increased years of experience demonstrated a very strong statistically significant association toward preferring independent pharmacies (P<0.001, Cramer's V (ϕc) for age > 48 = 0.7) and experience (P<0.001, (ϕc) for > 6-year experience = 0.52). Overall, independent pharmacies were favoured over chain pharmacies (43.7% vs 29.5%, P<0.001). Quality of pharmaceutical care parameters indicated that independent pharmacies were perceived as superior to chains in patient consultation (p<0.001), reduced waiting time for patients (p<0.001), and better longer-term relationships (p<0.001).  Regarding economic impact, chain pharmacies were perceived to yield higher profits and more sales for non-medical products (P<0.001). Independent pharmacies generally exhibited a superior profile in legislative parameters compared to chain pharmacies, including compliance with ownership regulations (P<0.001) and bequeathable practices (P<0.001). Chain pharmacies were perceived to provide better professional development to their staff compared to independent pharmacies (P<0.001). Conclusion: The significant expansion of chain pharmacies in the market highlights the imperative need for the establishment of new regulations and criteria. These measures are crucial to guarantee stability and equity for both chain and independent pharmacies operating within the market.