Cognitive Services Provided by Pharmacists: Is the Public Willing to Pay for Them?

Consumers' Willingness to Pay for Pharmacist Counselling Services and the Factors Affecting It in Community Pharmacies

Background

Community pharmacists play an important role in improving outcome by providing advice and counselling services to patients.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to measure the willingness to pay (WTP) for pharmacist counselling services in community pharmacies and identify determinant factors on consumers' WTP.

Methods

A self-administered questionnaire-based survey was conducted in community pharmacies in Tehran (capital of Iran) from January 1, 2020 to February 20, 2021. Contingent valuation method was applied to evaluate respondents' maximum WTP using three hypothetical scenarios illustrating different levels of counselling services. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between different variables and WTP for pharmacy services.

Results

Total number of participants who completed the questionnaire were 332 and 60% of the participants were male. In the first scenario 70.2% of participants were willing to pay for oral counselling pharmacy services. In the second and third scenario, percentage of people willing to pay increased to 79.5%. and 86.1%, respectively. In the first scenario, monthly income (OR = 0.041, P value = 0.04), the duration of underlying illness (OR = 0.04, P value = 0.04) and the using internet (OR = 2.59, P value = 2.59) had a statistically significant relationship with willingness to pay. In the third scenario, the willingness to pay increased as the age decreased. The possibility of using the internet (OR = 3.32, P value = 0.00) and the need for a community pharmacist (OR = 2.19, P value = 0.03) increased the chance of willingness to pay.

Conclusions

More consumers are willing to pay for more pharmacist counselling services. Therefore, improving the quality of counselling services could have positive economic effects on community pharmacies.

Consumer willingness to pay for pharmacy services: An updated review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Quantifying the value of pharmacy services is imperative for the profession as it works to establish an expanded role within evolving health care systems. The literature documents the work that many have contributed toward meeting this goal. To date, however, the preponderance of evidence evaluates the value of pharmacist services to third-party payers; few published studies address the value that consumers place on these services.

OBJECTIVES

In 1999, a review of studies that used the contingent valuation method to value pharmacy services was published. The objective of this manuscript is to provide an update of that review.

METHODS

Relevant studies published in the English language were identified searching MEDLINE, ECONLIT and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts databases from January 1999 to November 2017. Only studies that specifically elicited willingness to pay for a community pharmacist provided service from actual or potential consumers were included.

RESULTS

Thirty-one studies using the contingent valuation method to value pharmacy services were identified using the search strategy outlined. These studies included surveys in different demographic and geographic populations and valuing various pharmacy services.

CONCLUSIONS

Improving the quality of studies using contingent valuation to value pharmacy services will aid the profession in marketing pharmacy services to consumers, and may assist practitioners who wish to implement various pharmacy services in their practice settings. A limited number of studies have been conducted, but the quality of contingent valuation studies valuing pharmacist services is improving. Understanding the pharmacy services that consumers value, and understanding the level of their monetary willingness to pay for those services will be crucial as the profession continues to work toward establishing a sustainable and economically viable role within the evolving health care systems.

Patients' willingness to pay for cognitive pharmacist services in community pharmacies

AIM

To determine the general population willingness to pay for cognitive pharmacist service in community pharmacy, describe the behavior of participants regarding health care issues, and evaluate correlation between participants' sociodemographic characteristics or attitudes and their willingness to pay.

METHODS

A questionnaire-based survey was conducted among general population visiting community pharmacies. The participants were asked about receiving cognitive pharmacist services to identify and resolve potential medication therapy problems after the initiation of a new medicine to optimize health outcomes of the patients. A univariate and multivariate analysis were used to analyze associations between different variables and willingness to pay for pharmacy service.

RESULTS

Of 444 respondents, 167 (38%) reported that they were willing to pay for a medication management service provided in the community pharmacy. Univariate analysis showed significant association between the willingness to pay for pharmacist-provided service and respondents' socio-demographic factors, health-related characteristics, and behavior, dilemmas, or need for certain pharmacist-provided service. The logistic regression model was statistically significant (χ2=4.599, P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The respondents expressed their willingness to pay for cognitive pharmacist services, which has not been fully recognized within the health care system. In future, pharmacists should focus on practical implementation of the service and models of funding.

Satisfaction and expressed needs of pharmaceutical care services and challenges recognized by patients in South Korea

PURPOSE

To assess the degree of satisfaction and expressed needs of pharmaceutical care services in patients with chronic diseases and explore the factors related to the needs from patients' perspectives for the further development of pharmaceutical care service models.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of 220 patients (mean age ± SD: 61.3±13.1, male:female: 104:116) was conducted. The questionnaire was structured to measure patients' degree of satisfaction and expressed needs using a 5-point Likert scale. Additionally, preferred duration, methods of service delivery, and willingness to pay were surveyed. Responses were analyzed using an ordinal regression method to predict factors that were related to pharmaceutical care services.

RESULTS

Sixty-seven patients had experienced pharmaceutical care services. Their satisfaction levels were high in all categories; however, there were no significant differences between categories. The levels of expressed needs were similar among categories without significant differences. The preferred delivery method was a face-to-face conversation combined with being provided with written information (53.2%). The preferred duration was ≤10 min (70.5%). About 48% of the patients showed willingness to pay for the service. Education level and region influenced patients' needs.

CONCLUSION

The satisfaction and needs of pharmaceutical care services was very positive; however, noticing only a third of patients experienced pharmaceutical care services, this may indicate a lack of awareness and less appreciation of pharmacists by patients. Details concerning patients' awareness and the value of pharmaceutical care services require further investigation.

Risks, benefits, and issues in creating a behind-the-counter category of medications

OBJECTIVE

To examine the issues surrounding the development and implementation of a behind-the-counter (BTC) category of medications.

DATA SOURCES

Testimony from organizations submitting comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel hearings in November 2007, the 2009 final report of the U. S. General Accounting Office regarding a BTC drug category, literature review of research that has been conducted, experiences from other countries, and publically available information from agencies in charge of regulating medications similar to BTC.

SUMMARY

Based on evidence attained from the current work, the following six recommendations regarding a BTC category of medications are provided. (1) Demonstration needs to occur that the risks and/or costs of BTC are outweighed by benefits, positive measurable outcomes, and financial savings to society. (2) Sufficient resources, including personnel, equipment, and facilities, need to be available for the appropriate provision of BTC services and to ensure ongoing monitoring and controls. (3) An appropriate compensation structure needs to be developed. (4) Encounters and outcomes should be documented in an electronic record, the information should be shared with other health care providers involved in patients' care, and interprofessional collaboration and communication should occur. (5) Criteria for designating candidates for transition, ongoing review for safety, and reverse transition must be developed. (6) Applicable lessons learned from other countries should be incorporated into BTC strategies. In addition to implementation recommendations, we also summarize additional evidence that needs to be gathered to optimize the BTC model.

CONCLUSION

Based on the accumulated evidence, comments to FDA's request, and information from other countries, implementation of a BTC model probably is feasible in the United States. However, the optimal model remains uncertain and various aspects of a program need to be prioritized and rigorously tested.