article · Medicina
A cross-sectional survey evaluated public perceptions of community pharmacists and satisfaction with pharmacy services in Saudi Arabia. Among surveyed community members, public opinions were shaped by pharmacist availability, knowledge, counseling services, promptness, location, and waiting area quality. A majority of respondents, 80.5 percent, reported being treated with respect by community pharmacists, while 70.2 percent expressed trust in pharmacists' opinions regarding medications. Clear instructions about medication use were noted by 72.8 percent of participants. Although 58.7 percent preferred doctors for drug therapy consultations, 41.29 percent identified pharmacists as their preferred source. Overall, 62.5 percent of participants expressed satisfaction with pharmacists, and 64.8 percent reported satisfaction with pharmacy services. These favourable public views suggest community pharmacists have an opportunity to expand their roles as healthcare professionals within primary care.
Understanding community attitudes towards pharmacy services highlights how the public utilizes primary healthcare providers. Because respondents demonstrated substantial trust in medication guidance and reported high satisfaction, the findings suggest community pharmacists can take on broader healthcare responsibilities. Recognising customer priorities, such as prompt service, location, and effective counseling, helps pharmacy operators align community healthcare delivery with patient expectations.
These findings provide actionable customer preference data for retail pharmacy chains, healthcare managers, and community health operators. The insights can guide investments in service design, waiting area amenities, and staff training in medication counseling. While the survey data represents applied research based on public feedback rather than a commercial product, it can directly inform operational enhancements and service expansion programmes for community pharmacies.
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<i>Background and Objectives</i>: Pharmacists play a major role in serving patients and delivering pharmaceutical services to the community. It is unclear whether the public fully appreciates what pharmacists can do as key health care providers. This study aims to examine public perceptions of community pharmacists and levels of satisfaction with pharmacy services. <i>Materials and Methods</i>: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a randomly selected sample population (<i>n</i> = 1000) in Saudi Arabia over a period of six months from January through June 2019. A 40-item, structured, self-administered questionnaire was used, comprised of questions on the demographics characteristics of the respondents and their satisfaction with pharmacy services. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. <i>Results</i>: The response rate of the survey was 76.92%. Public opinions were influenced by pharmacists' availability and knowledge, service promptness, and counseling services. Overall, 80.5% of respondents agreed that community pharmacists treat them with respect. Doctors were identified as the preferred source of drug therapy consultation by 58.7% and pharmacists by 41.29%. About 72.8% of respondents agreed that pharmacists provided them with clear instructions about medication use, and 70.2% trusted pharmacists' opinions about medications. About 62.5% of respondents expressed satisfaction with pharmacists, and 64.8% with pharmacy services. <i>Conclusions</i>: Customers' opinions were influenced by pharmacists' availability and knowledge, pharmacy service promptness, pharmacy location, waiting area, medication knowledge, and counseling. However, the public was greatly satisfied with community pharmacists' professionalism and pharmaceutical services. This positive perception provides an opportunity for pharmacists to extend their roles as healthcare professionals.
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DOI: 10.3390/medicina58030432
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