Preferences for the delivery of community pharmacy services to help manage chronic conditions

Background: To optimize positive outcomes, the design of new pharmacy services should consider the preferences of consumers with chronic condition(s) and their carers.

Objectives: (i) To evaluate the relative importance of community pharmacy service characteristics, from the perspective of consumers with chronic condition(s) and carers; (ii) To compare consumer and carer preferences to health professional beliefs about ideal service characteristics for consumers.

Method: A discrete choice experiment was completed by consumers with chronic condition(s) and/or carers (n = 602) and health professionals (n = 297), recruited from four regions in Australia. Participants were each randomized to one survey version containing four (from a total 72) different choices between two new pharmacy services. Consumer and carer participants were also given an ‘opt out’ alternative of current service. Each service was described using six attributes related to pharmacy service characteristics: continued medicines supply, continuity and coordinated care, location, medication management, education and information, and cost.

Results: Consumers and carers placed highest priority on continued medicines supply by a pharmacist for regular and symptom flare up medicines (100 priority points), a pharmacy located within a ‘one-stop’ health center (61 points) and home delivery of medicines (52 points). Although continued medicines supply was most important for consumers and carers, pharmacy location was perceived by health professionals to be the most important characteristic for consumers. Participants were less inclined to choose new services if their current pharmacy offered high quality services that were person-centered, easy to access and responsive to their needs. Younger, more highly educated and employed participants, and those with established condition(s) were more likely to choose new services.

Conclusions: Person-centered care is a fundamental tenet for pharmacy services. The provision of continued medicines supply (e.g. through pharmacist prescribing), convenient and coordinated care delivered through a one stop health centre, and home delivery of medicines, should be prioritized when planning pharmacy services to best assist consumers to manage chronic conditions.