Patient expectations and willingness to use primary care pharmacy services in the United Arab Emirates Sanah Hasan a,b , Hana Sulieman c , Kay Stewart b , Colin B. Chapman b and David C.M. Kong b a College of Pharmacy, Sharjah University, c Department of Math and Statistics, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates and b Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic., Australia Keywords community pharmacy; patient expectations; primary care; United Arab Emirates Correspondence Dr David C.M. Kong, Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, Monash University (Parkville Campus), 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, Vic. 3052, Australia. E-mail: david.kong@monash.edu Received May 17, 2014 Accepted December 15, 2014 doi: 10.1111/ijpp.12176 Abstract Objectives No previous studies have investigated patients’ expectations of, or inter- est in, using primary care pharmacy services in the UAE. The study investigated primary care services that patients would use if they were provided through commu- nity pharmacies. Methods A questionnaire was developed in English and translated to Arabic. Par- ticipants were asked to rate their likelihood of using future primary care services on a three-point Likert-type scale (very likely–unlikely). Services included screening for disease, monitoring of disease control, health advice and referral, lifestyle and pre- ventive care, supply of printed information, counselling on medication use and side effects, patient record keeping, and pharmacist intervention in chronic disease. The questionnaire was distributed to patrons of public places by hand to eligible partici- pants: ≥21 years, taking at least one scheduled prescription medication and having adequate Arabic or English proficiency. Key findings Areas of most interest were as follows: the pharmacist explaining how to use medications (Median = 3, interquartile range (IQR) = 1), the pharmacist advising on side effects of medications (Median = 3, IQR = 1), receiving advice on how to use devices (Median = 3, IQR = 1) and receiving printed information about medications (Median = 3, IQR = 1). Participants were least supportive of pharma- cists keeping medication records (Median = 2, IQR = 1) and intervening in chronic disease management (Median = 2, IQR = 1). Participants anticipated a caring professional service by pharmacists and a pharmacy layout that allows private communication. Conclusions Participants were interested in accessing enhanced primary care ser- vices by community pharmacists. Participants were more supportive of receiving information about medications, help in self-management and monitoring, and advice about disease prevention than management of chronic disease. Introduction Primary health care ‘is the first level of contact of individuals, the family and community with the national health system’ and ‘addresses the main health problems in the community, providing promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services accordingly’. [1] Pharmacists are located within com- munities and have traditionally played a key role in primary care particularly with respect to their place in the medicines supply chain. Indeed in some health systems, they are the only health professional affordable and readily accessible to patients. [2] It is increasingly recognised that pharmacists have the knowledge and skills to play a greater role in primary care beyond their traditional supply role, as the following exam- ples show. In 2011, the Board of Pharmacy Specialties in the USA began certification of pharmacists practising in the area of International Journal of Pharmacy Practice International Journal of Pharmacy Practice 2015, 23, pp. 340–348 Research Paper © 2015 Royal Pharmaceutical Society International Journal of Pharmacy Practice 2015, 23, pp. 340–348 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ijpp/article/23/5/340/6101840 by guest on 12 September 2022