Assessment of patient satisfaction with pharmacy service and associated factors at community pharmacies in Debre Tabor Town, Northwest Ethiopia

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-5268672/v1

Background

One of the main ways to assess how well healthcare is being delivered is through patient satisfaction. When visiting community pharmacy, patients express a clear desire for high-quality care. But if their needs aren't well identified, the patient could not be satisfied. When a patient is happy with their pharmaceutical care, they are more likely to follow through on their prescription regimens, seek out medical assistance, and adhere to it. One strategy to raise customer satisfaction with healthcare services is to make quality pharmacies more accessible. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to assess patient satisfaction with pharmacy services at a community pharmacy in Debre Tabor city, North West Ethiopia, 2024.

Methods and materials:

A cross-sectional study were conducted among 405 respondents to assess satisfaction with pharmacy service in community pharmacy located in northwestern Ethiopia from February to March 2024. Data were collected through an exit interview using structured questionnaires. Then, it was entered into EpiData version 3.1 and exported to Spss version 23 for analysis. Associations between dependent and independent variables were assessed by multiple logistic regression using an adjusted odds ratio at a 95% confidence interval and the p values of less than 0.05.

Result

Four hundred five participants agreed to finish the study. The total satisfaction rate for community pharmacy services was 62.7%. The pharmacist does not provide information on how to deal with drug side effects that may develop at any time, which was the primary source of dissatisfaction (46.4%). Client satisfaction was adversely associated with an uncomfortable waiting area (AOR = 5.67, 95% CI: 1.18–27.22), an unfair medicine cost (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI: 0.90–2.82), and Age (AOR = 9.55, 95% CI: 3.17–28.80).

Conclusion

The level of customer satisfaction with pharmacy services was reported to be greater than 50%. The area of residence, educational status, and drug availability have no association with their level of satisfaction, but their perception of uncomfortable waiting areas, unfair medication costs were negatively associated with their satisfaction.

patient satisfaction

service quality

pharmaceutical services

community pharmacies

Ethiopia

Patient satisfaction is a measure of the extent to which a patient is content with the health care which they received from their health care provider. It is important for the implementation of pharmaceutical care. The community pharmacist role in, for example, patients’ counseling as part of pharmaceutical care delivery is important where the pharmacist can advocate rational drug use by giving patients drug information in terms of appropriate drug usage, administration, dosage, side effects, storage, and drug–drug and drug–food interactions [1]. Patients’ satisfaction and attitudes to community pharmacy services have been the subject of a plethora of investigations [2]. In general, patient satisfaction aspects may include, but not limited to, aspects to aspects such as consultation privacy, language, communication skills and barriers, rapid dispensing, complete explanation with regard to use, side effects, and storage of medication, in addition to the role of the pharmacist in educating the public and increasing their awareness of rational drug use, consequences of antibiotic misuse, healthy diet, and other lifestyle habits [3].

The Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) is conducting a sector-wide reform project to significantly improve the quality and availability of services at all levels of the country by implementing hospital reform guidelines. One of the components of this guideline is to improve service quality, which is accomplished by performing regular patient satisfaction surveys [4]. Hospital pharmacies are a critical component of the hospital complex system, with a direct impact on patient satisfaction and the hospital's reputation. Even while all professions exist to serve society's requirements, pharmacy specialists working in hospital pharmacies cannot meet the needs of both society and individual patients.

According to a study conducted at the Mizan-Tepi university teaching hospital in southern Ethiopia, nearly half of the clients who received pharmaceutical care services in the specified hospitals were not satisfied [5]. Another study discovered that the compassionate and respectful care offered by pharmacists to patients has a positive effect on client satisfaction, while being a communicator and explaining was the second most important determinant [6].

Various studies found varying levels of patient perception and satisfaction with the services offered by pharmacists [7, 8, 9, 10]. With all of these various literature findings and a lack of research in the current situation, it is prudent to perform this study to assess patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical treatments and associated factors in community pharmacy in northwestern Ethiopia. This will help to bridge the gap between what patients need and what they receive. Finally, the findings of this study serve to improve the quality of pharmaceutical services at Debre Tabor Community Pharmacy.

Study Area, Design, and period

The study was conducted at a community pharmacy in Debre Tabor Town, Amhara regional state, Ethiopia, from July to March 2024. Which is located 667 km from Addis Ababa in the south Gondar zone of the Amara region, Ethiopia. It is 104 km away from Bahir Dar, the capital city of Amhara regional state. In the city, there are 3 governmental health Centre, 6 private clinics, 9 community pharmacies, 15 drug stores, and 1 general hospital. The cross-sectional study, conducted between February 20 and March 20, 2024, aimed to collect data on patient satisfaction and associated factors at community pharmacies in Debre Tabor during that specific time frame. The findings from such a study can help inform the current state of patient satisfaction in the community and identify potential areas for improvement in the pharmacy services provided by community pharmacies.

Study population

The source population consisted of all patients receiving pharmacy services at community pharmacies. Patients who visited community pharmacies during the data collection period and met eligibility requirements were all from the same source population. This study's eligibility criteria included all patients who were over the age of 18 and purchased drugs for themselves. Patients who were mentally unstable, too unwell to reply, purchasing non-pharmaceutical products and supplies, or purchasing medications for others were excluded from the study.

Study variable

Dependent variable was patient satisfaction. Independent variable includes: Socio –demographic characteristic (age, sex, education status, occupation, and residence); cost of medication; availability of medication; Pharmacy service; pharmacy setting

Sample size and sampling techniques

All participants were selected by convenience sampling method. Patients were interviewed at exit from pharmacy until the required number of patients for each day was achieved. The sample size was determined by a formula for estimating single population proportion assuming a confidence level of 95% and 10% non-response rate were added. From study conducted in Addis Ababa community pharmacy, patient satisfaction was 60.4%.

The formula was: n = _z² p (1-p) /d²

Where n = is the required sample size. P = 60.4%, is from patient satisfaction proportion prev alence study in Addis Abeba red cross pharmacy (25), D = margin of error tolerated which is 5% Zα/2 = 1.96 at 95% confidence level (α of 5%). 10% were added for non- response rate accordingly, the required calculated s n = (1.96)² 0.604 (1-0.604) / (0.05)2 = 367.5 ≈ 368, When 10% added, the sample size was; n = 368 + 36.8 = 404.8 ≈ 405

Data collection instrument and techniques

Data was gathered through a face-to-face interview with a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed after analyzing many pieces of literature connected to the topic in Ethiopia [12–16]. The questionnaire was initially written in English, then translated into Amharic and back to English. Three Amharic-speaking pharmacists were employed to collect the data.

The data collectors received one-day training on procedures, methodologies, and methods of data collection. The questionnaire was pre-tested on other community pharmacies that were not included in the study, representing approximately 5% of the study participants. The pre-test involved eighteen patients. The data were reviewed for consistency and completeness. The Principal Investigator's tasks included supervising data collectors and ensuring that the questionnaire was complete.

Data entry and Analysis

After gathering and carefully cleaning the data, the analyses were carried out using the SPSS v.24 software. The goal of this analysis was to look at different variables and correlations in the dataset, with a particular emphasis on understanding patient satisfaction and associated factors at community pharmacies in Debre Tabor Town. The findings could provide useful insights into pharmacy service performance, patient experiences, and potential areas for improvement.

Descriptive statistics were used to summarize essential factors such as patient demographics (age, gender, and so on), patient satisfaction levels, and other pertinent variables. The investigation also included computing the average patient satisfaction score and determining whether patients were satisfied, neutral, or dissatisfied with pharmacy services. A regression analysis was performed to find factors associated with patient satisfaction.

Operational definitions

Patient satisfaction is the outcome of comparing one's expectations with real experiences—whether positive or negative with regard healthcare services [3].

Pharmaceutical services include the deference and consideration given by pharmacy the preparation and clarification of medications, the proper quantity of medication and counseling about medication storage [1].

Ethical approval and participants’ consent

The Debre Tabor University Ethical Review Committee gave its ethical approval to the proposal with a reference number of CHS/297/2024. The studies were conducted in Accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. The participants provided their written informed consent to Participate in this study. The study followed Helsinki legislation in terms of doing it in a properly anonymous and confidential manner.

Socio-demographic characteristics of study participants

Out of 405 patients reached, 405 adults agreed to participate, resulting in a 100% response rate. Table 1 shows that half of the participants (n = 206, or 50.9%) were male. Among the respondents, individuals aged 29 to 39 years old constituted the largest share (n = 140, 34.6%), followed by those aged 18 to 28 years (n = 124, 30.6%).It is apparent that the proportion of patients from urban regions was larger than that from rural areas (n = 265, 65.4%), and more than half of the participants were married (n = 262, 64.7%).In terms of respondents' educational status, the most frequent had college or higher education (n = 186, 45.9%), followed by those with secondary education (n = 95, 23.5%).

Table 1

Socio-demographic characteristics of study participants at community pharmacy in Debre Tabor Town, Northwest Ethiopia, 2024 (n = 405)
Variables	Category	n (%)
Gender	Male	206 (50.9)
Gender	Female	199 (49.1)
Age	18–28	124(30.6)
	29–39	140(34.6)
	40–49	78(19.3)
	>=50	68(15.6)
Marital status	Married	262(64.7)
	Single	91(22.5)
	Separated	40(9.9)
	Widowed	6(1.5)
	Divorced	6(1.5)
Area of residence	Urban	265(65.4)
Area of residence	Rural	140(34.6)
Educational status	cannot read and write	53(13.1)
	only read and write	23(5.7)
	Primary	48(11.9)
	Secondary	95(23.5)
	collage and above	186(45.9)
Religion	Orthodox	351(86.7)
Religion	Muslim	54(13.3)
Occupation	Student	58(14.3)
	Unemployed	12(3.0)
	government employed	103(25.4)
	Farmer	76(18.8)
	Housewife	32(7.9)
	Merchant	108(26.7)
	daily labor	16(4.0)

Satisfaction on patient pharmacy interaction

The majority (80.5%) of respondents were satisfied with pharmacists treating them with dignity and respect; around 79.3% of patients were satisfied with the availability of pharmacists at the time of visit; the majority (85.2%) of patients were satisfied with the easy and understandable language used by pharmacists; most (89.9%) of patients were satisfied with the waiting time in pharmacy fairness; and 73.8% of patients were satisfied with pharmacists keeping the privacy of patients (Table 2).

Table 2

Satisfaction on Patient pharmacy interaction at community pharmacy in Debre Tabor Town, Northwest Ethiopia, 2024 (n = 405)
Variables		n (%)
The pharmacist treated with dignity and respect	Satisfied	326(80.5)
	Dissatisfied	52(12.8)
	Neutral	27(6.7)
Does the pharmacist took important drug and health related history from you	Satisfied	243(60.0)
	Neutral	42(10.4)
	Dissatisfied	120(29.6)
The pharmacist available at the time of visit	Satisfied	321(79.3)
	Dissatisfied	41(10.1)
	Neutral	43(10.6)
The language used by the pharmacist is easy and understandable	Satisfied	345(85.2)
	dissatisfied	32(7.9)
	Neutral	28(6.9)
The pharmacist answer questions properly	Satisfied	354(87.4)
	Dissatisfied	35(8.6)
	Neutral	16(4.0)
Get written information about medication use whenever you need	Satisfied	245(60.5)
	Dissatisfied	89(22.0)
	Neutral	71(17.5)
The pharmacist serves you equally with other patients	Satisfied	350(86.4)
	Dissatisfied	27(6.7)
	Neutral	28(6.9)
The pharmacist keep privacy	Satisfied	299(73.8)
	Dissatisfied	38(9.4)
	Neutral	68(16.8)
The pharmacist gives the medicine with appropriate packaging	Satisfied	264(65.2)
	Dissatisfied	96(23.7)
	Neutral	45(11.1)
The waiting time in pharmacy fairness	Satisfied	364(89.9)
	Dissatisfied	17(4.2)
	Neutral	24(5.9)

Patient satisfaction on pharmacist’s advice

The majority (91.1%) of patients were satisfied with the pharmacist’s advice on how to take the medication; around 35.8% of patients were satisfied with the pharmacist's drug-drug and drug-food interaction advice; 53.3% were satisfied with medication side effects advice; and only 37.5% of patients were satisfied with how to solve medication side effects. The majority of patients, 73.1%, were satisfied with the storage of medication. After enough counselling, 52.6% were satisfied. The main dissatisfaction was counselling about how to solve side effects (Table 3).

Table 3

Patient satisfaction on pharmacist’s advice at community pharmacy in Debre Tabor town, northwest Ethiopia, 2024 (n = 405).
Variables		Frequency (%)
The pharmacist explains how to take your medication	Satisfied	369(91.1)
	Dissatisfied	24(5.9)
	Neutral	12(3.0)
The pharmacist mentions enough information about drug-drug interaction and drug food interaction	Satisfied	145(35.8)
	Dissatisfied	149(36.8)
	Neutral	111(27.4)
The pharmacist mentions enough information about medication side effect	Satisfied	216(53.3)
	Dissatisfied	120(29.6)
	Neutral	69(17.0)
The pharmacist gives information on how to solve medication side effect if occur at any time	Satisfied	152(37.5)
	Dissatisfied	188(46.4)
	Neutral	65(16.0)
Pharmacist gave information about proper storage of medication	Satisfied	296(73.1)
	Dissatisfied	52(12.8)
	Neutral	57(14.1)
Counseling time was enough	Satisfied	213(52.6)
	Dissatisfied	135(33.3)
	Neutral	57(14.1)
The pharmacist label medicine in readable and understandable instruction	Satisfied	244(60.2)
	Dissatisfied	86(21.2)
	Neutral	75(18.5)

Patient perception towards the pharmacy setting, medication availability, and cost

About 88.1% and 85.4% of the respondents mentioned that the location of the pharmacy was convenient and the dispensary was clean, respectively. Nearly half of the respondents revealed that the cost of medication is unfair (Table 4).

Table 4

Patient perception towards the pharmacy setting, medication availability, and cost In Debre Tabor Town, North-west Ethiopia, 2024 (n = 405)
Variable	Category	Frequency (%)
The location of pharmacy is convenient	Yes	357(88.1)
	Not	20(4.9)
	Somewhat/Neutral	28(6.9)
The waiting area is comfortable & convenient	Yes	345(85.2)
	Not	24(5.9)
	Somewhat/Neutral	36(8.9)
The pharmacy is clean	Yes	346(85.4)
	Not	39(9.6)
	Somewhat/Neutral	20(4.9)
Do you get all drug that you need	Yes	302(74.8)
	Not	60(14.6)
	Somewhat/Neutral	43(10.6)
The cost of medication is fair	Yes	151(37.3)
	Not	202(49.9)
	Somewhat/Neutral	52(12.8)

Patient view on the requirement to improve the service

The majority of respondents, 107, want to improve the cost of medication; 98 of the respondents want to improve counselling and 54 patients want to improve labelling and packaging (Fig. 1).

The sum of patient satisfaction ratings for outpatient pharmacy services

Based on a five-point Likert scale, the total mean satisfaction score was 20.6 out of 100. Using this mean score as a cut-off, 254 (62.7%) of survey respondents were pleased with the community pharmacists' services. The remaining patients (n = 151, 37.3%) were dissatisfied with the services, scoring higher than the mean with a standard deviation of 8.7 at the 95% confidence interval (24.2, 33.8).

Determinants of patients’ level of satisfaction with pharmacy service

Patients within the age range of 18–28 years and 29–39 years were 9 times (AOR = 9.55, 95% CI: 3.17, 28.80) and 5 times (AOR = 5.89, 95% CI: 2.00, 17.36) more satisfied than the age range of > = 50 years, respectively. Patients who did not get all the medication needed were 16 times more dissatisfied compared with those who had all of the medications dispensed (AOR = 15.95, 95% CI: 6.94, 36.64) (Table 5).

Table 5

Multivariable logistic regression analysis of factors associated with client satisfaction at community Pharmacy, Debre Tabor Town, North west Ethiopia, 2022 (n = 405)
Factors/variables	Frequency (%)		COR (95%CI)	P-value	AOR (95%CI)	P-value
	Satisfied	Dissatisfied
Age
18–28	58 (46.8)	66 (53.2)	3.5(1.7–7.2)	0.01	9.55(3.17–28.80)	0.000
29–39	86 (61.4)	54 (38.6)	2.43(1.18–4.98)	0.015	5.89(2.00-17.36)	0.001
40–49	47 (60.3)	31 (39.7)	2.95(1.36–6.41)	0.006	3.35(1.09–10.26)	0.034
≥ 50	50 (79.4)	13 (20.6)	1.00	0.000
Area of residence
Urban	136 (51.32)	129 (46.68)	1.00	0.017
Rural	105 (75)	35 (25)	0.50(0.32–0.78)	0.002	0.68(0.35–1.31)	0.253
Educational status
Cannot read & write	43 (81.13)	10 (18.87)	0.48(0.24–0.96)	0.03	1.17(0.42–3.18)	0.760
Only read & write	17 (73.91)	6 (26.09)	0.41(0.14–0.15)	0.092	0.79(0.20–3.07)	0.743
Primary	21 (43.75)	27 (56.25)	1.25(0.66–2.37)	0.490	.029(0.10–0.89)	0.30
Secondary	59 (62.11)	39 (37.89)	0.90(0.54–1.50)	0.694	0.68(0.35–1.33)	0.266
College & above	101 (54.30)	85 (45.70)	1.00	0.009
Do you get all drugs that you need
Yes	221(72.94)	82(27.06)	1.00	0.000
Somewhat	21(48.84)	22(51.16)	2.82(1.47–5.40)	0.002	3.21(1.45–7.06)	0.608
No	12(20.34)	47(79.66)	10.55(5.33–20.89)	0.000	15.95(6.94–36.64)	0.105
Is the cost of medication fair
Yes	107(70.86)	44(29.14)	1.00	0.41
Somewhat	32(61.54)	20(38.46)	1.52(0.78–2.94)	0.214	1.27(0.51–3.15)	0.004
No	115(56.93)	87(43.07)	1.84(1.17–2.88)	0.008	1.6(0.90–2.82)	0.000
is the pharmacy clean
Yes	237(68.5)	109(31.50)	1.00	0.460
somewhat	11(55)	9(45)	1.78(0.71–4.41)	0.215	0.95(0.20–4.37)	0.951
No	6(15.38)	33(84.62)	11.96(4.86–29.38)	0.000	2.05(0.15–2.82)	0.062
is the waiting area comfortable
Yes	237(68.7)	108(31.30)	1.00	0456
Somewhat	13(36.11)	23(63.89)	3.88(1.89–7.95)	0.000	3.05(0.84–11.02)	0.088
No	4(16.67)	20(83.33)	10.97(3.66–32.87)	0.000	5.67(1.18–27.22)	0.030
is the location of pharmacy convenient
Yes	243(68.07)	114(31.93)	1.00	0.469
Somewhat	5(17.86)	23(82.14)	9.80(3.65–26.45)	0.000	10.97(2.32–51.92)	0.003
No	6(30.00)	14(70.00)	4.97(1.86–13.27)	0.001	3.11(0.52–18.31)	0.209
^AOR Adjusted odd ratio ^COR Crude odd ratio ^CI Confidence interval

Assessing patients' satisfaction with pharmacy services is critical for enhancing the quality of existing services. This will help close the gap between what patients need and what they actually get [11]. This cross-sectional study was aimed at assessing patients' satisfaction with community pharmacy services in order to get insight into the quality of healthcare offered at Debre Tabor Town.

The patient satisfaction rate (62.7%) in this study was substantially equal to the results of a study conducted at Addis Abeba's Red Cross pharmacy, which reported a satisfaction score of 60.4 [12]. The current level of satisfaction exceeds the survey conducted at Yekatit 12 referral hospital (47%). [13], a study at Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital (52.6%) [5], and Wolaita Sodo University Teaching Hospital (54.2%) [14]. The higher degree of satisfaction in the current study may indicate that community pharmacies provide better pharmacy services than outpatient pharmacies in public hospitals.

The overall result of patients' satisfaction with pharmaceutical cost (37.4%) and availability (74.8%) was higher than the survey conducted at the Red Cross Pharmacy in Addis Abeba (30.7%) and (37.6%), respectively [12]. This significant difference could be attributed to the presence of COVID-19 during the Red Cross's investigation in Addis Ababa. As a result, the Red Cross in Addis Abeba did not have access to all of the medication that the patients required, so they obtained medication from a private drug supplier. As a result, the cost of medication increased dramatically. In contrast, in this study, 88.1% of participants were satisfied with the location of pharmacy convenience, which was lower than the Red Cross (93.6%) but higher than the study conducted in Pakistan [15]. In terms of waiting area comfort and cleanliness, the current study found that 85.2% of participants were satisfied, which is greater than the study conducted in Pakistan, where 70% of participants were satisfied with the waiting area's comfortability [15]. This disparity could be due to patients' perceptions of variation.

The overall patient satisfaction with pharmacist interaction in this study was 76.8%. This is also better than patient satisfaction in some public hospital pharmacies in Ethiopia [16, 17]. The reason could be that patients rate their interactions with pharmacists differently on different days. Patients in community pharmacies were more satisfied with their interactions with other patients than patients in public hospital pharmacies.

Regarding patient satisfaction with the pharmacist's advice 60.2% of participants were satisfied with pharmacists' labelling in an understandable manner, which is greater than the survey done in the United Arab Emirates, which found that 43.7% of people were satisfied [18]. This discrepancy could be attributed to the fact that this community pharmacy has a good habit of marking medications. According to this conclusion, 91.1% of patients were satisfied with the pharmacist's instructions on how to take the drug, which was greater than the survey conducted in Pakistan. Approximately three-quarters of pharmacy patients were pleased with their information on how to take drugs [15].

In this finding, 73.1% of patients were satisfied with the storage of medication, and only 53.3% of patients were satisfied with pharmacists’ advice regarding medication side effects, which is lower than the study done in Pakistan on information about the storage, precautions, and side effects of medicine (88% [15]. This difference might be due to the knowledge of pharmacists about side effects and storage being relatively lower in those pharmacies.

This finding revealed that 52.6% of patients were satisfied with counselling time enough and 35.8% of patients were satisfied with drug and food interaction advice, which is higher than the study conducted at the Red Cross in Addis Ababa, which shows only 37.6% of patients were satisfied with counselling time enough and only 15.9% of patients were satisfied with the advice of pharmacists about drug and food interaction [12]. This great variation might be due to pharmacists’ educational status differences, work experience differences, and the negligence of Red Cross pharmacists to advise the patient.

Different factors were associated with clients’ satisfaction in this study, respondents who were aged range of 18–28 years and 29–39 years were 9 times (AOR = 9.55, 95% CI: 3.17, 28.80) and 5 times (AOR = 5.89, 95% CI: 2.00, 17.36) more satisfied than the age range of > = 50 years, respectively. In support of this finding, studies conducted in six regions of Ethiopia, India, and China age were a significant factor towards satisfaction [19, 20, 7].

The six regions of the Ethiopian survey revealed that individuals aged 35 to 49 were less likely to be satisfied than those aged 15 to 19. This could be because as people get older, their level of pleasure with their health declines [19]. This finding contrasts with previous studies that found elderly people to be more satisfied than their younger counterparts [21, 22, 23].

Patients who thought the price of medications was 1.6 times higher (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI: 0.90–2.82, P = 0.000) were more likely to be dissatisfied than those who thought it was fair. This investigation was consistent with that conducted at the Red Cross Pharmacy in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. Patients who thought the price of prescription pharmaceuticals was 0.613 times (AOR = 0.613, 95% CI: 0.607–0.910, P = 0.024) more likely to be satisfied than customers who considered the price of prescribed medications was not fair [12]. On the other hand, respondents in an uncomfortable waiting environment were five times less satisfied than those in a comfortable waiting area (AOR = 5.67, 95% CI: 1.18–27.22). However, a study conducted in Pakistan discovered no link between waiting area comfortability and satisfaction (AOR = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.67–1.57, P = 0.92) [15].

This study's findings can help healthcare providers, including pharmacists, assess patient satisfaction in community pharmacies. Improving community pharmacy services can result in better healthcare outcomes.

LIMITATION

The current study has a few limitations. For starters, the study was cross-sectional, making it hard to evaluate the temporal relationship between patient satisfaction and its associated components. Second, because the interview took place in a group setting, this study could have been influenced by social desirability bias. Furthermore, the study may be influenced by the cherry effect and response bias.

Measuring patient satisfaction using several service characteristics allows us to estimate the gap between patient needs and patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care services at any given time. This study gives useful information about patient satisfaction with community pharmacy services in Debre Tabor, northwest Ethiopia. The overall patient satisfaction rate is 62.7%, indicating that more than half of patients had pleasant experiences with pharmacy services. However, there is room for improvement as nearly half of the dissatisfied patients attributed their dissatisfaction to the pharmacist mention enough information about drug-drug interaction and drug food interaction, and the pharmacist gives information on how to solve medication side effects if occur at any time. Patient satisfaction is negatively associated with age greater than or equivalent to 50 years, unfair medicine costs, and an uncomfortable waiting room. These findings emphasize the importance of targeted initiatives to address these challenges and improve patient experiences in community pharmacy.

Acknowledgements:

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the community pharmacists of Debre Tabor Town for giving permission to collect data during data collection.

We also like to acknowledge Debre Tabor University community-based education coordination office for giving an ethical approval letter.

Authors’ contributions:

GTA, SBD and TYT have made substantial contributions to the conception of the research, the design of the work, the acquisition, and the interpretation of data. GTA has drafted the work and ETA and GTA has substantively revised it. TMA, TAM and TYT have approved the submitted version and agreed both to be personally accountable for the author's own contributions and to ensure that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work, even ones in which the author was not personally involved, are appropriately investigated, resolved, and the resolution documented in the literature.

Funding:

There was no funding for this study. Availability of data: The dataset used during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Ethics statement

The Debre Tabor University Ethical Review Committee gave its ethical approval to the proposal with a reference number of CHS/297/2024. The studies were conducted in Accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. The participants provided their written informed consent to Participate in this study. The study followed Helsinki legislation in terms of doing it in a properly anonymous and confidential manner.

Consent for publication:

Not applicable.

Competing interests:

The authors declare no competing interests.

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No competing interests reported.

Assessment of patient satisfaction with pharmacy service and associated factors at community pharmacies in Debre Tabor Town, Northwest Ethiopia

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Abstract

Background

Methods and materials:

Result

Conclusion

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INTRODUCTION

METHODS