Background

Community pharmacists are adapting and extending their roles in order to meet fresh demands from service users. A study conducted by Morris et al revealed that consumers wish to use pharmacies 'in the way they desire'. The contrasting consumers' views identified by this study suggests that individuals using pharmacies have widely differing needs and preferences¹. Furthermore, this variability highlighted not only how the needs of individuals differ, but also how the needs of an individual may vary according to circumstance.

Objectives

This paper aims to explore variations in the needs and requirements of patients utilising pharmacy prescription services.

Method

Questionnaires were completed by a total of 276 patients who had opted to register with the three Electronic Transmission of Prescriptions (ETP) pilots across the UK. 211 patients completed and returned the questionnaire (response rate 76%). Each consortium recruited the participating patients and supplied contact details to the researchers. The survey aimed to evaluate how patients utilised pharmacy services prior to their registration with the ETP pilots. The questionnaire explored four main areas; patient experiences of obtaining repeat medication from their GP and their pharmacy, their attitudes about the repeat prescription process, and their reasons for using ETP. Modified questionnaires were also completed by 64 patients who declined to participate in the pilots. Descriptive statistics and frequencies were obtained using SPSS for Windows (version 10.1). In addition, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 26 respondents to the questionnaire who had opted to use a participating mail order pharmacy.

Results

More than half of the respondents opting to use ETP reported that their pharmacy operated a prescription collection service (PCS) (54%). However, less than a third made use of this service (31%). The two most common reasons given for not using the service were firstly, that patients prefer to collect their prescription personally (34%) and secondly, that they found it convenient to collect themselves (36%). The most frequently reported reason for not registering with ETP was satisfaction with the current system of obtaining their medication (26%). A further 15% decided not to join simply because they were not prescribed regular medication. By contrast, interviews conducted with new users of a mail order pharmacy revealed that removing the need to visit their GP practice or pharmacy to obtain repeat medication was perceived to be a more convenient pharmacy service. This appeared to be particularly applicable to housebound customers. This group of patients also positively reviewed a service whereby the pharmacist reminded them about their repeat medication and arranged its delivery on their behalf.

Conclusions

The pharmacy services required by patients varies considerably. The convenience of obtaining prescription medication appears to influence patient satisfaction with the services they receive². However, the definition of convenience differs between individual patients; some patients prefer to be involved in the processing of their repeat prescriptions while others choose to keep their involvement to a minimum. Data from this study suggest that personal circumstance is an important determinant in patient's choice of prescription services and how they utilise the pharmacy services available to them.

References

1. Morris, C., Cantrill, J.A. and Weiss, M.C. (1997) 'One simple question should be enough': consumers' perceptions of pharmacy protocols International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, June; p 64-71

2. Jones, J., Matheson, C. and Bond, C. (2000) Patient Satisfaction with community pharmacist-managed system of repeat prescribing Int J Pharm Pract 8:291-97