Community pharmacy in Lebanon: A societal perspective

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Social Pharmacy
• Patient Satisfaction

Background:

• Community pharmacists play a vital role in healthcare delivery.
• Understanding patient perceptions is crucial for enhancing pharmacy services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient attitudes towards community pharmacists in Lebanon.
• To identify factors influencing patient reactions to community pharmacy services.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 565 participants in Lebanon.
• Data collected via surveys between January and April 2016.
• Statistical analyses included bivariate analysis, Wilcoxon test, Student's t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation.

Main Results:

• Patient perception was positively correlated with expectations, pharmacy experience, and reason for visit.
• Perception was negatively correlated with barriers to asking questions.
• Perception was positively associated with pharmacy visit frequency, age, education, and income.

Conclusions:

• Public perception of community pharmacists in Lebanon is suboptimal.
• Patients value respect, empathy, communication, and privacy in pharmacy services.
• Recommendations include pharmacist education to address patient concerns and enhance their societal role.