Willingness to pay for extended community pharmacy services among general public in the United Arab Emirates
Main Article Content
Keywords
community pharmacists, extended community pharmacy services, consumer perception, willingness-to-pay
Abstract
The study examined individuals’ willingness to pay for extended community pharmacy services (ECPS) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Data was collected from all seven emirates in the UAE through an online descriptive cross-sectional survey which was conducted in March and May 2021. A stratified random sample of 406 respondents participated, 71.43% were females and 28.57% males from different socioeconomic backgrounds. While SPSS was used to analyze respondents’ feedback, descriptive statistics were utilized to examine the sample’s sociodemographic features, views and readiness to pay for services. Using regression analysis, the researcher determined the link between consumers’ sociodemographic attributes and their perceptions of pharmacies and pharmacists and their willingness to pay for extended community services. The findings show that individuals purchase prescription drugs (68.97%), while others buy pharmaceutical products (59.36%) and non-prescription medications (54.43%). Proximity to pharmacies (82.51%) is the main factor influencing people’s choices. Most individuals in the UAE are confident that pharmacists have sufficient knowledge of medications and are concerned about public well-being (55.17%). Willingness to pay extended community services depends on pharmacists’ professionalism and honesty (77.83%), expertise on medication and illnesses (79.06%), and communication skills (57.39%).
References
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31. Schindel TJ, Hughes CA, Makhinova T, Daniels JS. Drawing out experience: Arts-informed qualitative research exploring public perceptions of community pharmacy services. Res Soc Adm Pharm. 2022;18(1):2200-2212.
32. Rayes IK, Abduelkarem AR. General public perceptions on the role of community pharmacists in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: A quantitative approach. J Int Res Med Pharm Sci. 2016:190-198.
33. Hindi AM, Schafheutle EI, Jacobs S. Patient and public perspectives of community pharmacies in the United Kingdom: A systematic review. Health Expect. 2018;21(2):409-428.
34. Andrzejewska M, Religioni U, Piątkiewicz P, Barańska A, Herda J, Czerw A, Krysiński J, Merks P. Public perception of pharmacists in Poland. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(5):2515.
35. Lakić D, Stević I, Odalović M, Vezmar-Kovačević S, Tadić I. Patients’ willingness to pay for cognitive pharmacist services in community pharmacies. Croat Med J. 2017;58(5):364-371.
36. Okai GA, Abekah-Nkrumah G, Asuming PO. Perceptions and trends in the use of community pharmacies in Ghana. J Pharm Policy Pract. 2019;12(1):1-9.
37. Raghupathi V, Raghupathi W. The influence of education on health: An empirical assessment of OECD countries for the period 1995–2015. Arch Public Health. 2020;78(1):1-8.
38. Sallam M, Anwar S, Yufika A, Fahriani M, Husnah M, Kusuma HI, Raad R, Khiri NM, Abdalla RY, Adam RY. Willingness-to-pay for COVID-19 vaccine in ten low-middle-income countries in Asia, Africa and South America: A cross-sectional study. Narra J. 2022;2(1):e74.
39. Schuhmann PW, Skeete R, Waite R, Lorde T, Bangwayo-Skeete P, Oxenford HA, Gill D, Moore W, Spencer F. Visitors’ willingness to pay marine conservation fees in Barbados. Tour Manag. 2019;71:315-326.
40. Gunsmaa G, Shono A, Price PE, Kondo M, Hebron C, Potokar T, Ichikawa M. Parental acceptance and willingness to pay for a newly designed kitchen rack to reduce paediatric burns. Burns. 2022;48(2):381-389.
41. Entele BR. Analysis of households’ willingness to pay for a renewable source of electricity service connection: Evidence from a double-bounded dichotomous choice survey in rural Ethiopia. Heliyon. 2020;6(2):e03332.
2. World Health Organization. The role of the pharmacist in the health care system: Report of a WHO consultative group, New Delhi, India, 13–16 December 1988; Report of a WHO meeting, Tokyo, Japan, 31 August–3 September 1993. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1994.
3. Britten N. Prescribing and the defence of clinical autonomy. Sociol Health Illn. 2001;23(4):478-496.
4. Mossialos E, Courtin E, Naci H, Benrimoj S, Bouvy M, Farris K, Noyce P, Sketris I. From “retailers” to health care providers: Transforming the role of community pharmacists in chronic disease management. Health Policy. 2015;119(5):628-639.
5. Tesfaye ZT, Yismaw MB. Community’s extent of use and approval of extended pharmacy services in community pharmacies in Southwest Ethiopia. PLoS One. 2020;15(4):e0230863.
6. Hashmi FK, Hassali MA, Khalid A, Saleem F, Aljadhey H, Bashaar M. A qualitative study exploring perceptions and attitudes of community pharmacists about extended pharmacy services in Lahore, Pakistan. BMC Health Serv Res. 2017;17(1):1-9.
7. Hassali MA, Nordin N, Sarriff A, Saleem F. Community pharmacy marketing in the new era: A global picture of extended community pharmacy services. Marketing. 2018;129.
8. Taylor S, Cairns A, Glass B. Consumer perspectives of expanded practice in rural community pharmacy. Res Soc Adm Pharm. 2021;17(2):362-367.
9. Alvarez-Risco A, Mil JF. Pharmaceutical care in community pharmacies: Practice and research in Peru. Ann Pharmacother. 2007;41(12):2032-2037.
10. Dameh M. Pharmacy in the United Arab Emirates. South Med Rev. 2009;2(1):15.
11. Sadek MM, Elnour AA, Al Kalbani NM, Bhagavathula AS, Baraka MA, Aziz AM, Shehab A. Community pharmacy and the extended community pharmacist practice roles: The UAE experiences. Saudi Pharm J. 2016;24(5):563-570.
12. Dunlop JA, Shaw JP. Community pharmacists’ perspectives on pharmaceutical care implementation in New Zealand. Pharm World Sci. 2002;24(6):224-230.
13. Giberson S, Yoder S, Lee MP. Improving patient and health system outcomes through advanced pharmacy practice. A report to the US Surgeon General. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief Pharmacist, US Public Health Service; 2011.
14. Larson RA. Patients’ willingness to pay for pharmaceutical care. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2000;40(5):618-624.
15. AlShayban DM, Naqvi AA, Islam MA, Almaskeen M, Almulla A, Alali M, AlQaroos A, Raafat M, Iqbal MS, Haseeb A. Patient satisfaction and their willingness to pay for a pharmacist counseling session in hospital and community pharmacies in Saudi healthcare settings. Front Pharmacol. 2020;11:138.
16. Jaber D, Aburuz S, Hammad EA, El-Refae H, Basheti IA. Patients’ attitude and willingness to pay for pharmaceutical care: An international message from a developing country. Res Soc Adm Pharm. 2019;15(9):1177-1182.
17. Hasan S, Sulieman H, Stewart K, Chapman CB, Hasan MY, Kong DC. Assessing patient satisfaction with community pharmacy in the UAE using a newly-validated tool. Res Soc Adm Pharm. 2013;9(6):841-850.
18. Hasan S, Sulieman H, Stewart K, Chapman CB, Kong DC. Patient expectations and willingness to use primary care pharmacy services in the United Arab Emirates. Int J Pharm Pract. 2015;23(5):340-348.
19. Chen YC, Tarn YH, Kreling DH. Public views of community pharmacists in Taiwan. Int J Pharm Pract. 2012;20(3):203-206.
20. Al Akshar SA, Shamssain M, Metwaly Z. Pharmacists perceptions of community pharmacy practice in UAE: An overview. IOSR J Pharm. 2014;4(6):47-56.
21. Bawazir SA. Consumer attitudes towards community pharmacy services in Saudi Arabia. Int J Pharm Pract. 2004;12(2):83-89.
22. El Hajj MS, Salem S, Mansoor H. Public’s attitudes towards community pharmacy in Qatar: A pilot study. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2011;5:405.
23. Awad AI, Al-Rasheedi A, Lemay J. Public perceptions, expectations, and views of community pharmacy practice in Kuwait. Med Princ Pract. 2017;26(5):438-446.
24. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Cost-benefit analysis and the environment: Further developments and policy use. OECD Publishing; 2018.
25. Mitchell RC, Carson RT. Using surveys to value public goods: The contingent valuation method. RFF Press; 2013.
26. McIntosh E, Clarke P, Frew E, Louviere J. Applied methods of cost-benefit analysis in health care. Oxford University Press; 2010.
27. Merga BT, Ayana GM, Negash B, Alemu A, Abdurke M, Abdu A, Balis B, Bekana M, Fekadu G, Raru TB. Health-care workers’ willingness to pay for COVID-19 vaccines in Eastern Ethiopia using contingent valuation method. Clinicoecon Outcomes Res. 2022;14:395.
28. Al Mustanyir S, Turner B, Mulcahy M. The population of Saudi Arabia’s willingness to pay for improved level of access to healthcare services: A contingent valuation study. Health Sci Rep. 2022;5(3):e577.
29. Steigenberger C, Flatscher-Thoeni M, Siebert U, Leiter AM. Determinants of willingness to pay for health services: A systematic review of contingent valuation studies. Eur J Health Econ. 2022:1-28.
30. Palaian S, Alomar M, Hassan N, Boura F. Opportunities for extended community pharmacy services in United Arab Emirates: Perception, practice, perceived barriers and willingness among community pharmacists. J Pharm Policy Pract. 2022;15(1):1-10.
31. Schindel TJ, Hughes CA, Makhinova T, Daniels JS. Drawing out experience: Arts-informed qualitative research exploring public perceptions of community pharmacy services. Res Soc Adm Pharm. 2022;18(1):2200-2212.
32. Rayes IK, Abduelkarem AR. General public perceptions on the role of community pharmacists in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: A quantitative approach. J Int Res Med Pharm Sci. 2016:190-198.
33. Hindi AM, Schafheutle EI, Jacobs S. Patient and public perspectives of community pharmacies in the United Kingdom: A systematic review. Health Expect. 2018;21(2):409-428.
34. Andrzejewska M, Religioni U, Piątkiewicz P, Barańska A, Herda J, Czerw A, Krysiński J, Merks P. Public perception of pharmacists in Poland. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(5):2515.
35. Lakić D, Stević I, Odalović M, Vezmar-Kovačević S, Tadić I. Patients’ willingness to pay for cognitive pharmacist services in community pharmacies. Croat Med J. 2017;58(5):364-371.
36. Okai GA, Abekah-Nkrumah G, Asuming PO. Perceptions and trends in the use of community pharmacies in Ghana. J Pharm Policy Pract. 2019;12(1):1-9.
37. Raghupathi V, Raghupathi W. The influence of education on health: An empirical assessment of OECD countries for the period 1995–2015. Arch Public Health. 2020;78(1):1-8.
38. Sallam M, Anwar S, Yufika A, Fahriani M, Husnah M, Kusuma HI, Raad R, Khiri NM, Abdalla RY, Adam RY. Willingness-to-pay for COVID-19 vaccine in ten low-middle-income countries in Asia, Africa and South America: A cross-sectional study. Narra J. 2022;2(1):e74.
39. Schuhmann PW, Skeete R, Waite R, Lorde T, Bangwayo-Skeete P, Oxenford HA, Gill D, Moore W, Spencer F. Visitors’ willingness to pay marine conservation fees in Barbados. Tour Manag. 2019;71:315-326.
40. Gunsmaa G, Shono A, Price PE, Kondo M, Hebron C, Potokar T, Ichikawa M. Parental acceptance and willingness to pay for a newly designed kitchen rack to reduce paediatric burns. Burns. 2022;48(2):381-389.
41. Entele BR. Analysis of households’ willingness to pay for a renewable source of electricity service connection: Evidence from a double-bounded dichotomous choice survey in rural Ethiopia. Heliyon. 2020;6(2):e03332.
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Published
Mar 10, 2026
Article Details
How to Cite
1.
Willingness to pay for extended community pharmacy services among general public in the United Arab Emirates. Pharm Pract (Granada) [Internet]. 2026 Mar. 10 [cited 2026 Mar. 26];24(1):1-16. Available from: https://pharmacypractice.org/index.php/pp/article/view/3480
Section
Original Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Author Biography
Muaed Jamal Alomar, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Ajman University, Ajman
Clinical Pharmacy Department
Rank: Head of the department
How to Cite
1.
Willingness to pay for extended community pharmacy services among general public in the United Arab Emirates. Pharm Pract (Granada) [Internet]. 2026 Mar. 10 [cited 2026 Mar. 26];24(1):1-16. Available from: https://pharmacypractice.org/index.php/pp/article/view/3480