Perspectives and Satisfaction of Consumers with Hypertension and Diabetes on Services Provided by Community Pharmacy

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases are increasing, but detection and control are inadequate. Active involvement of community pharmacies in their management can improve the situation. This is an exploratory study to unearth the perceptions and expectations of customers of services offered by community pharmacies. A cross-sectional study was conducted in two regions of Ghana. A total of 535 clients participated. Counseling was the most patronized (71.0%) service with medication review (38.5%) being the least. The most readily available service was sale of prescription medications (63.7%). Proximity (72.1%) was the most influential factor for selecting a pharmacy to visit. Clients perceived the dispensing of medications (64.3%) as the principal role of the pharmacists. The presence of a pharmacist and good and quick customer service were of statistical significance to customer satisfaction. Customers visited facilities mostly for blood pressure monitoring and to refill their medications, and counseling was the most patronized service. These call for planning multifaceted approaches to improve the care of patients with chronic disease.