Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Mar 6:6:79-89.
doi: 10.2147/IPRP.S107612. eCollection 2017.

Review of community pharmacy services: what is being performed, and where are the opportunities for improvement?

Brittany L Melton  1 , Zoe Lai  1
Affiliations
Review

Review of community pharmacy services: what is being performed, and where are the opportunities for improvement?

Brittany L Melton et al. Integr Pharm Res Pract. .

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this review was to assess pharmacist and pharmacy services being provided and identify opportunities to improve patient satisfaction.

Methods: Studies published between January 2006 and July 2016 examining patient satisfaction with pharmacy and pharmacist services, which were written in English, were identified in PubMed. Studies were excluded if they only looked at pharmacy student-provided services.

Key findings: A total of 50 studies were ultimately included in the review. Of these studies, 28 examined services traditionally provided by community pharmacists such as dispensing and counseling, while 16 examined a new in-person service being offered by a pharmacy, and the remaining six involved a new technology-assisted service. While study findings were generally positive for patient satisfaction of pharmacy services, several opportunities were identified for pharmacies to improve.

Conclusion: Overall, patient satisfaction is high across pharmacy services; however, this satisfaction is related to prior patient exposure to services and their level of expectation. Pharmacists have multiple opportunities to improve the services they provide, and there are additional services pharmacists may consider offering to expand their role within the health care system.

Keywords: community; patient satisfaction; pharmacy; services.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Inclusion/exclusion criteria.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. CMS.gov [webpage on the Internet] Historical. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. [Accessed November 2, 2016]. Available from: https://www.cms.gov/research-statistics-data-and-systems/statistics-tren....
    1. BLS.gov [webpage on the Internet] Occupational Outlook Handbook: Pharmacists. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor; [Accessed November 2, 2016]. [updated December 17, 2015]. Available from: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/pharmacists.htm.
    1. HHS.gov [webpage on the Internet] Read the Law. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; [Accessed November 2, 2016]. [updated August 28, 2015]. Available from: https://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about-the-law/read-the-law/
    1. Simoens S, Lobeau M, Verbeke K, van Aerschot A. Patient experiences of over-the-counter medicine purchases in Flemish community pharmacies. Pharm World Sci. 2009;31(4):450–457. - PubMed
    1. Du Pasquier S, Aslani P. Concordance-based adherence support service delivery: consumer perspectives. Pharm World Sci. 2008;30(6):846–853. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources