Patient satisfaction with Saudi community pharmacy services (Wasfaty System)

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Pharmaceutical Services
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiated healthcare reforms, including the Wasfaty electronic prescribing system.
• The Wasfaty system aims to streamline prescription fulfillment through community pharmacies (CPs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient satisfaction with community pharmacies and the Wasfaty electronic prescribing system.
• To identify factors influencing patient satisfaction with pharmacy services in Saudi Arabia.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional observational study utilizing existing patient experience data from the Saudi Ministry of Health.
• Data collected from patients aged 15 and above visiting governmental primary care clinics in 2022.
• Statistical analysis included summary statistics and multivariable logistic regression.

Main Results:

• Over 70% of 66,541 patients reported satisfaction with CPs and the Wasfaty system.
• Older age and female gender were associated with higher satisfaction.
• Patients in preventive clinics reported higher satisfaction with medication availability and waiting times, while those in chronic disease clinics had lower satisfaction with medication availability.

Conclusions:

• The Wasfaty system demonstrates success in meeting patient needs, with high overall satisfaction.
• Areas for improvement include addressing medication availability and enhancing patient-pharmacist communication.
• Continuous monitoring is crucial for improving patient experience, adherence, and healthcare outcomes.