Patients' perceptions of a pharmacist-managed weight management clinic in a community setting

BACKGROUND

There have been many studies demonstrating patients' willingness to pay for medication therapy management services provided by pharmacists. There are few studies, however, evaluating the possible provision of a weight management service in the community pharmacy setting.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives were to (1) determine patients' knowledge of obesity and its resultant health risks, (2) determine patients' beliefs about obesity, (3) determine interest in pharmacist-delivered weight management services, and (4) identify factors associated with knowledge, beliefs, and interest in obesity and/or weight management services.

METHODS

One thousand patients were selected from 5 community pharmacies under a single chain located within a large metropolitan area to receive a mail survey. Survey items assessed patients' knowledge of obesity and the health risks associated with it by using the Obesity Risks Knowledge Scale and the Obesity Beliefs Scale. Additional survey questions were added to measure patients' willingness to pay for a pharmacist-managed weight management clinic. Descriptive statistics and linear regression models were used in analysis of the data.

RESULTS

Nearly two-thirds (62%) of respondents were classified as overweight or obese based on self-reported height and weight. Most of the respondents demonstrated an average level knowledge regarding the health risks associated with obesity. Attitudes toward obesity were commensurate with prevailing knowledge. Only a small proportion (13%) of respondents were willing to pay out of pocket for a pharmacist-delivered weight management service. Very little variance in knowledge, beliefs, or interest in pharmacist-delivered weight management services were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the fact that patients are aware of the health risks associated with obesity and believe it is healthier to maintain ideal body weight, most are not doing so. Additionally, most patients are not willing to pay for pharmacist-delivered weight management services. The findings can begin to assist pharmacists in developing strategies for implementation of weight management services.

Cognitive pharmaceutical services and the community pharmacist: are South African patients receiving them and are they willing to pay?

Objective

The objectives of this study were to ascertain the opinions of randomly selected South African medical aid members regarding the provision by community pharmacists of patient counselling and information; member satisfaction with pharmacist services; their rating of pharmacist accessibility; and if pharmacists should be reimbursed for providing cognitive pharmaceutical services.

Setting

A South African private healthcare insurance company.

Method

A 39-item web-based survey instrument was used to telephonically interrogate randomly selected insured participants to determine their use of prescription medicines, if they received medication counselling and disease-related information, their satisfaction with the advice provided, how they rated their relationships with pharmacists, if they believed that pharmacists should be reimbursed for providing professional services and their rating of pharmacist accessibility. A total of 628 randomly selected insured patients were telephonically surveyed and their responses included.

Key findings

Of the 507 participants, 60% received prescription medicine for their own use from pharmacists at least once during the six-month period under review, 26% from dispensing doctors and 14% from both pharmacists and doctors. Seventy-nine per cent reported receiving medication counselling and 77% received health-related information from pharmacists. This contrasted with those participants who received medicines from doctors where 98% reported being counselled on medicine use and 99% received health-related information. Almost 90% of those who consulted pharmacists believed that they were provided with good advice. Just over two-thirds of participants (68%) rated their relationships with pharmacists as good, 62% considered doctors more accessible than pharmacists and 46% said that they were willing to pay pharmacists for providing professional cognitive services.

Conclusion

Although pharmacists were significantly more likely to provide participants with their prescription medicines, they compared unfavourably with doctors in terms of healthcare provider accessibility and in providing patients with health-related information and medication counselling. While the majority of participants surveyed classified their relationships with their pharmacists as good, just under half were willing to pay pharmacists for providing professional pharmacy services.

Advice-giving on self-medication: perspectives of community pharmacists and consumers in Singapore

BACKGROUND

In Singapore, community pharmacists provide an advice-giving service to consumers who seek self-medication for minor ailments management. This service has not been studied formally from the perspectives of pharmacists and consumers.

OBJECTIVES

The study aimed to identify (i) the approach taken by pharmacists in providing advice for self-medication and (ii) consumers' behaviour in self-treatment and their perception of the advice-giving role of the community pharmacist.

METHOD

The pharmacists and consumers were surveyed independently using two structured questionnaires.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

All community pharmacists who participated in the survey were confident in providing advice on self-medication. However, none of them recorded the consultations and only 17.5% of them had documented their general physician referrals. Most consumers (66.3%) would self-medicate and only consult a professional when the desired outcome was not achieved. Less than 10% of consumers would approach the pharmacists as the first option for advice. More than half of the pharmacists felt that the advice they rendered deserved a fee whereas only 28.4% of the consumers were willing to pay. Both parties thought the fee should not be more than S5 dollars (US3 dollars).

CONCLUSION

Generally, there is congruence in the perspectives on self-medication between the advice-giving pharmacist and the consumer. The consumers still lack awareness that pharmacists can help them to self-medicate more safely and effectively. Therefore, more effort in public education is warranted. The current state of poor documentation of the advisory function of community pharmacists should be improved.