Community Based Study: Patient's Satisfaction toward Community Pharmacy Services in Zawia City, Libya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26719/LJMR.18.2.13Keywords:
Community Pharmacy, Satisfaction, Pharmaceutical Services, Zawia.Abstract
Purpose: Patient satisfaction is a crucial measure that assists decision-makers in evaluating the quality of healthcare
services and determining the factors that contribute to the sustainability of these services. This study sought to explore the
reasons for community pharmacy visits and assess patient satisfaction with the pharmaceutical services offered by
community pharmacies.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of three months from October, 2023 through
January,2024 in zawiya city, Libya to evaluate patients satisfaction toward community pharmacy services by face to face
interview.
Results: A total of 812 patients took part in this study, with the majority being female (70%). Around two-thirds of the
respondents (63.4%) reported having no significant health conditions. Patients visited the pharmacy primarily for
prescription refills (35.3%) and to purchase prescribed medications (34%), with the main reason for choosing a particular
pharmacy is its location closed to their home (27%). The most common frequency of visits was once a month (36.4%). A
large majority (80.3%) preferred in-person visits over online purchasing. In Zawia city, Libya, patients expressed
moderate satisfaction with the overall services, with 50.9% giving an excellent score. However, they were dissatisfied
with the lack of privacy (32%) and the waiting times for services.
Conclusions: In Zawia city, patients attended community pharmacies to receive traditional services and they hesitated
to receive new services. Patients were moderately satisfied with community pharmacy services, and they expected much
from pharmacists. Some demographic characteristics were important factor that affected patients’ satisfaction such as the
age, gender and educational level of patient.
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