Societal perspectives on community pharmacy services in West Bank - Palestine
Main Article Content
Keywords
Abstract
Understanding the public's view of professional competency is extremely important; however little has been reported on the public’s perception of community pharmacists in Palestine
Objectives: To determine the perception of Palestinian consumers of the community pharmacist and the services they offer
Method: This project used the survey methodology administered by structured interviews to consumers who attended the 39 randomly selected pharmacies, in six main cities in Palestine. The questionnaire had range of structured questions covering: Consumers’ patronage patterns, consumers’ interaction with community pharmacists, consumers’ views on how the pharmacist dealt with personal health issues, procedure with regard to handling private consultations.
Results: Of 1,017 consumers approached, 790 consumers completed the questionnaire (77.7 %). Proximity to home and presence of knowledgeable pharmacist were the main reasons for patients to visit the same pharmacy. Physicians were identified as the preferred source of advice by 57.2% and pharmacists by 23.8%. Only 17% of respondents considered pharmacists as health professionals who know a lot about drugs and are concerned about and committed to caring for the public. In addition, 49% indicated that pharmacists spoke more quietly cross the counter during counseling and almost one third reported that the pharmacist used a private area within the pharmacy. The majority of respondents would be happy to receive different extended services in the community pharmacy like blood pressure monitoring.
Conclusions: Palestinian consumers have a positive overall perception of community pharmacists and the services they offer. Awareness should be created amongst the public about the role of pharmacist and the added value they can provide as health care professional. There is a need to consider privacy when giving patient counseling to increase user satisfaction.
References
2. Jaradat N, Sweileh W. Drug Information for Community Pharmacies: Survey on Needs and Use of Drug Information with Special Focus on New Information Technology .An-Najah Univ J Res. 2003;17(2):287-300.
3. Anderson S. The state of the world's pharmacy: a portrait of the pharmacy profession. J Interprof Care. 2002;16(4):391-404.
4. Crellin JK. Revisiting counter practice amid pharmacy and medical reform nineteenth-century Britain. Publ Am Inst Hist Pharm. 2001;19:57-71.
5. Nagai T. [Pharmacy, pharmacists and society--pharmaceutical science and practice with philosophy]. Yakugaku Zasshi. 2003;123(3):143-150.
6. Rui Pita J. [The pharmacy in Portugal (1772-1836)]. Rev Hist Pharm (Paris). 1998;45(317):51-58.
7. Bouvy ML, van Berkel J, de Roos-Huisman CM, Meijboom RH. Patient’s drug information needs: a brief view on questions asked bytelephone and on the internet. Pharm World Sci. 2002;24(2):43-45.
8. Hands D, Stephens M, Brown D. A systematic review of the clinical and economic impact of drug information services on patient outcome. Pharm World Sci. 2002;24(4):132-138.
9. Eades CE, Ferguson JS, O'Carroll RE. Public health in community pharmacy: A systematic review of pharmacist and consumer views. BMC Public Health. 2011;11:582.
10. Sweileh W. Self – Medication and Over-the-Counter Practices: A Study in Palestine. J Al-Aqsa Unv.2004;8:1-9.
11. Troy M. OTC Special Report: Pharmacists have become OTC allies. Drug Store News. 1995;(June):S15-16.
12. Rajendran SD, Satish T, Ulaganathan K, et al. Impact of improved pharmacy services in community pharmacies on patient perception. Indian J Hosp Pharm. 2000;37:11-13.
13. Tammaru TM, Volmer D, Raal A. Estonian community pharmacies - pharmaceutical services and patient satisfaction. J Soc Admin Pharm 2003;20(5):182-186.
14. Bell H, McElnay J, Hughes C. Societal perspectives on the role of the community pharmacist and community-based pharmaceutical services. J Soc Adm Pharm. 2000;17:119-128.
15. The ratiopharm CFP Report on Pharmacy Services: Consumers’ Perception of Pharmacy [online], 2004. http://www.ratiopharm.ca/pdf/cfp_eng.pdf (Accessed Nov 4, 2011).
16. Wazaify M, Younes A, Abu-Gharbieh E, Tahaineh L. Societal perspectives on the role of community pharmacists and over-the-counter drugs in Jordan. Pharm World Sci. 2008;30(6):884-891.
17. Cordina M, McElnay JC, Hughes CM. Social perceptions of community pharmaceutical services in Malta. J Clin Pharm Ther. 1998;23(2):115-126.
18. Farris KB, Fernandez-Llimos F, Benrimoj SI. Pharmaceutical care in community pharmacies: practice and research from around the world. Ann Pharmacother. 2005;39(9):1539-1541.
19. Hargie O, Morrow N, Woodman C. Consumer perceptions of and attitudes to community pharmacy services. Pharm J 1992;(249):988-991.
20. Bawazir SA. Consumer attitudes towards community pharmacy services in Saudi Arabia. Int J Pharm Pract. 2004;12(2):83-89.
21. Oritz M, Liden D, Thomas R, Morgan G, Morland R. The impact of professional services on pharmacy patronage: findings of a pharmacy practice foundation survey (Part 6). Aust J Pharm 1987;68:207-214.
22. Anderson C. Blenkinsopp A. Armstrong M. Feedback from community pharmacy users on the contribution of community pharmacy to improving the public’s health: a systematic review of the peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed literature 1990–2002. Health Expect. 2004;7(3):191-202.
23. Anderson C. Health promotion by community pharmacists: consumer’s views. Int J Pharm Pract. 1998:6(1):2-11.
24. Coggans N, Johnson I, Mckellar S, Grant L, Parr PM. Health Promotion in Community Pharmacy: Perceptions and Expectations of Consumers and Health Professionals. Glasgow: Department of Pharmaceutical Studies, University of Strathclyde. Report commissioned by the Scottish Office, 2000.
25. Larsson EC, Viberg N, Vernby A, Nordmark J, Stålsby-Lundborg C. Health information, an area for competition in Swedish pharmacies. Pharm Pract (Internet). 2008;6(2):74-78.
26. Lamb C, Cantrill J. Asthma patients' usage of over-the-counter medicines and complementary remedies. Pharm J. 1995;(254):802-804.
27. Clerfeuille F, Poubanne Y, Vakrilova M, Petrova G. Evaluation of the consumer’s satisfaction using the tetra-class model. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2008;4(3):258-271.
28. Volume CI, Farris KB, Kassam R, Cox CE, Cave A. Pharmaceutical care research and education project: patient outcomes. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2001;41(3):411-420.
29. Schommer JC. Effects of interrole congruence on pharmacist–patient communication. J Health Commun. 1994;6:297-309.
30. Kinghorn I. The Health Education Needs of Patients Buying or Receiving Aspirin on Prescription for Thromboprophylaxis. MSc thesis. Department of Medicines Management, Keele University, 1998
31. Black K, Mercer C, Kubba A, Wellings K: Provision of emergencycontraception: A pilot study comparing access through pharmacies andclinical setting. Contraception. 2008;77(3):181-185.
32. Gainer E, Blum J, Toverud EL, Portugal N, Tyden T, Nesheim BI, Larsson M, Vilar D, Nymoen P, Aneblom G, Lutwick A, Winikoff B. Bringing emergency contraception over the counter: experiences of non-prescription users in France, Norway, Sweden and Portugal. Contraception. 2003;68(2):117-24.
33. Dunn S, Brown T, Cohen M, Cockerill R, Wichman K, Weir N, Pancham A: Pharmacy provision of emergency contraception: the Ontario emergency contraception pilot project. J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2003;25(11):923-930.
34. Sucato G, Gardner J, Koepsell T: Adolescents use of emergency contraception provided by Washington State Pharmacists. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2001;14(4):163-169.
35. Edwards L . Levonelle – P Status and Women’s Needs: Qualitative Research. Report commissioned by Schering Healthcare, 2000.
36. Folkes L, Graham A, Weiss M. A qualitative study of the views of women aged 18-29 on over the counter availability of hormonal emergency contraception. J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care. 2001;27(4):189-192.
37. Baraitser P, Pearce V, Holmes J, Horne N, Boynton P. Chlamydia testing in community pharmacies: Evaluation of a feasibility pilot in south east London. Qual Saf Health Care. 2007;16(4):303-307.
38. McManus RJ, Mant J.Community pharmacies for detection and control of hypertension. J Hum Hypertens. 2001;15(8):509-510.
39. Turnacilar M, Sancar M, Apikoglu-Rabus S, Hursitoglu M, Izzettin FV. Improvement of diabetes indices of care by a short pharmaceutical care program. Pharm World Sci. 2009;31(6):689-695.
40. Santos Dde O, Martins MC, Cipriano SL, Pinto RM, Cukier A, Stelmach R. Pharmaceutical care for patients with persistent asthma: assessment of treatment compliance and use of inhaled medications. J Bras Pneumol. 2010;36(1):14-22.
41. FIP Meetings Report. How pharmaceutical services are provided to patients around the world. Pharm J. 2004; (273):359-63.
Article Sidebar
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported License.