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NSW research details pharmacy trends and public perceptions
Sunday August 19, 2007
Australian pharmacies are highly valued by the communities they serve, according to new research released in line with Ask Your Pharmacist Week.
Overall, Australian pharmacy customers value their pharmacist’s knowledge of medicines, believe they provide valuable advice and a high level of customer service is provided by competent and friendly staff.
The research is included in this month’s Pfizer Australia Health Report which was conducted in partnership with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia .
Ninety percent of Australian customers trust their pharmacist and believe their pharmacy is a quality healthcare destination. Similarly, 82 percent consider their pharmacist to be an expert in medicines, while 79 percent believe pharmacy plays an important role in their healthcare management.
Sixty six percent of Australian customers stated that they go to their pharmacist before or instead of their GP for some minor medical conditions.
The research also showed that three in five Australians would be more likely to choose a pharmacy if they knew it was accredited, a statistic that pleased Kos Sclavos from the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
“It’s a positive result for all Australian pharmacies, knowing that the public values accreditation and the Quality Care Pharmacy Program,” Kos Sclavos said.
“The research obtained in the Pfizer Australia Health Report showed that more than 90 percent of Australians agreed that being accredited or assessed to meet quality standards helps in increasing the level of professional services and customer care provided,”
Another key finding showed that 63 percent of Australians are aware that Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) is a service pharmacies provide, and for those who are aware of the service, CMI is rated as the highest value on average, over stop smoking and weight management programs which rated lowest.
Australians over 60 years of age are more likely to be aware of CMI. Additionally, older Australians are more likely to be aware of the availability of home medicine review, which also rated highly in terms of value of pharmacy services.
Unfortunately a negative finding revealed that compliance to prescription medication was low, with 41 percent of Australians having stopped taking prescribed medication before they were meant to on at least one occasion.
Over 50 percent of those who have previously stopped taking a prescribed medicine indicated it was because they were of the opinion that it was not needed anymore, while 42 percent stopped due to side effects.
Following this, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia is encouraging the public to actively seek out CMI and discuss prescription medications with their pharmacist.
“We all know that the best way to manage an illness is to learn about it, learn about the medicines used to treat it, how they work and what some of the side effects may be.”
“People concerned about a medication should consult their pharmacist. Similarly, it is essential that pharmacists should dispense Consumer Medicine Information and report any adverse effects their patiens suffer,” says Kos Sclavos.
Other key findings of this month’s Pfizer Health Report include:
- While 83 percent of purchases made at pharmacies are prescription medications, 58 percent are non prescription / OTC medicines and 23 percent are complementary medicines or vitamins
- Men are more likely than women to stop taking a medication because they believe it is not needed any more (65 percent versus 45 percent), while women are more likely to stop because of side effects (56 percent versus 26 percent)
- 82 percent of Australian customers choose their pharmacy based on location.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has collaborated with Pfizer Australia to assist with educating the public about the role of Pharmacy and produce this month’s edition of the Pfizer Australia Health Report. Filled with useful information, free copies can be requested by phoning 1800 675 229 or by visiting www.healthreport.com.auwhere people can also sign-up for email alerts of future editions.
Findings are based on responses from 1,458 Australian adults. The research was conducted in November 2006 by independent consultants Stollznow Research.
Pfizer Australia is the nation’s leading research-based health care company, investing over $A45m in local research and development annually. It develops, manufactures and markets innovative medical treatments for both humans and animals. For more information, visit the links on this website.