How to attract them and keep them: the pharmacy attributes that matter to Australian residents with chronic conditions

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Author(s)
McMillan, SS
Sav, A
Kelly, F
King, MA
Whitty, JA
Wheeler, AJ
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2014
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Objective To explore the attributes of pharmacy choice for people with chronic conditions. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted between May and October 2012, across four regions in three Australian states. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants with chronic conditions and unpaid carers. Interviews were analysed via the constant comparison method. Key findings Ninety-seven interviews were conducted. The majority of participants were regular patrons of one pharmacy and five attributes influenced this choice: patient-centred care, convenience, price, personal trait or preference and service/medication ...
View more >Objective To explore the attributes of pharmacy choice for people with chronic conditions. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted between May and October 2012, across four regions in three Australian states. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants with chronic conditions and unpaid carers. Interviews were analysed via the constant comparison method. Key findings Ninety-seven interviews were conducted. The majority of participants were regular patrons of one pharmacy and five attributes influenced this choice: patient-centred care, convenience, price, personal trait or preference and service/medication need. Patient-centred care, such as providing individualised medication counselling, continuity of care, development of relationships and respectful advice, emerged as an important attribute. There was minimal discussion as to choosing a pharmacy based on the provision of professional services, underscoring the limited consumer knowledge of such services and related standards of care. Conclusion Patient-centred care is an important attribute of quality care as perceived by people who are regular community pharmacy users. These findings highlight the need for pharmacy staff to implement a patient-centred approach to care, thus meeting the perceived needs of their customers. A greater effort is also necessary to raise the profile of pharmacy as a healthcare destination.
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View more >Objective To explore the attributes of pharmacy choice for people with chronic conditions. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted between May and October 2012, across four regions in three Australian states. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants with chronic conditions and unpaid carers. Interviews were analysed via the constant comparison method. Key findings Ninety-seven interviews were conducted. The majority of participants were regular patrons of one pharmacy and five attributes influenced this choice: patient-centred care, convenience, price, personal trait or preference and service/medication need. Patient-centred care, such as providing individualised medication counselling, continuity of care, development of relationships and respectful advice, emerged as an important attribute. There was minimal discussion as to choosing a pharmacy based on the provision of professional services, underscoring the limited consumer knowledge of such services and related standards of care. Conclusion Patient-centred care is an important attribute of quality care as perceived by people who are regular community pharmacy users. These findings highlight the need for pharmacy staff to implement a patient-centred approach to care, thus meeting the perceived needs of their customers. A greater effort is also necessary to raise the profile of pharmacy as a healthcare destination.
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Journal Title
International Journal of Pharmacy Practice
Volume
22
Issue
4
Copyright Statement
© 2013 Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Published by Wiley-Blackwell. This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: How to attract them and keep them: the pharmacy attributes that matter to Australian residents with chronic conditions, International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, Volume 22, Issue 4, 2014, pages 238–245, which has been published in final form at dx.doi.org/10.1111/ijpp.12075.
Subject
Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice
Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences