Patient satisfaction with delivery of products and information by an ambulatory care pharmacy

Abstract

A survey for assessing ongoing patient satisfaction with ambulatory care pharmaceutical services was developed for and tested in a veterans population; acquiescence response to survey items and desire for potential future services were measured. A questionnaire based on key aspects of patient satisfaction described in the literature was distributed to 1451 patients visiting an ambulatory care pharmacy prescription-pickup window during five consecutive days in 1994. Patients were asked about current services and the desirability of potential future services. Patients indicated their responses to statements about current services. Acquiescence response (the tendency to agree with statements regardless of content) was measured by using matched pairs of contradictory statements. The response rate was 48.3%. Patients' mean +/- S.D. overall satisfaction with current services was 3.7 +/- 1.1. The responses of 72.0% of patients exhibited no contradictions. The potential new service wanted most by respondents was availability of a pharmacist to talk with patients by telephone; seeing a pharmacist in the clinic instead of a physician for drug-related problems was wanted least by respondents. Veterans responding to a survey of satisfaction with ambulatory care pharmaceutical services had a low tendency to agree with statements regardless of content. The survey can be used to assess veterans' ongoing satisfaction.