Public perception, satisfaction and expectations from community pharmacy services and the barriers to consult the community pharmacist
Anan S. Jarab, Walid Al‐Qerem, Karem H. Alzoubi, Shrouq Abu Heshmeh, Ahmad nor Aldin Alzoubi, Tareq L. Mukattash, Badi’ah Alazab, Yazid N. Al Hamarneh
Abstract
This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate public perception, satisfaction, expectations, and barriers to utilize the community pharmacy services. A validated self-reported online survey was distributed on 681 individuals in different regions across Jordan. The mean age of the participants was 29 (±10) years. The most reported reason for choosing a particular community pharmacy was its closure to home or workplace (79.1%), while the main reason for visiting a community pharmacy was to obtain over the counter medications (66.2%). The participants showed good perception, satisfaction, and expectations of community pharmacy services. However, several barriers were identified, including higher participants' trust in physicians when compared to pharmacists (63.1%), and lack of privacy in the pharmacy (45.7%). Community pharmacists should participate in successful education and training programs in order to raise the quality of the provided services, meet patient requirements, and re-establish consumer confidence in community pharmacists.