PMD9 Evaluation of A Pathway for Providing Pharmaceutical Care

Abstract

Self-medication and the use of clinical pathways have become important tools in managing scarce health care resources. To determine the success of such programs, it is essential to measure health outcomes and patient satisfaction. The objective of this study was to evaluate a pharmaceutical care pathway via patient satisfaction with service and product, and willingness to pay (WTP). METHODS: The pathway, focusing on cough, cold, sinus, and allergy OTC medications, was used by 18 pharmacy interns to counsel customers. These customers (experimental group) answered demographic questions instore and later received follow-up phone calls to determine their levels of satisfaction and WTP. The data for the control group was collected using in-store surveys. The control group was not counseled using the pathway. The data were analyzed to make comparisons between the experimental and control groups, based on demographic data, satisfaction scores, and WTP amounts. RESULTS: After controlling for independent covariates such as age, gender, income, etc., it was found that the control group's (n = 210) WTP was $1.47 less than the experimental group's (n = 213). Also, the level of overall satisfaction (service and product) in the control group was found to be almost 20% less than that of the experimental group. CONCLUSIONS: The experimental group was more satisfied with the counseling service and product that they purchased. This group was also more willing to pay for the service they had received. It was found that the WTP amoung was not influenced by factors such as age, educational level, income, gender, race, family size, or marital status but only by the difference in counseling received. Overall satisfaction appears to have been influenced by the structured counseling and by the education level, where the level of satisfaction was directly proportional to the level of education.