Developing a service excellence system for ambulatory care pharmacy services

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Ambulatory care pharmacy services are crucial for patient health outcomes.
• Measuring and improving patient satisfaction is essential for service quality.
• Existing systems may not fully address patient expectations in ambulatory care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of a service excellence system for ambulatory care pharmacy.
• To identify patient needs, expectations, and priorities regarding pharmacy services.
• To evaluate the impact of the service excellence system on patient satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• Conducted patient interviews using a standardized script to gather data on needs and expectations.
• Designed and implemented a service excellence system with key performance indicators.
• Focused on staff recruitment, training, environmental improvements, and process changes.

Main Results:

• Overall patient satisfaction increased from 72% to 93% at main campus pharmacies.
• Satisfaction at smaller sites rose from 85% to 95%.
• Key performance indicators like turnaround time and staffing levels remained stable.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive service excellence program effectively enhanced patient satisfaction in ambulatory care pharmacy.
• Addressing patient-identified priorities such as wait times and staff interactions is vital.
• The implemented system demonstrated a significant positive impact on patient experience.