5CPA consumer research
September 21, 2015
The Pharmacy Guild has hailed
the results of an R&D project
funded under the Fifth Community
Pharmacy Agreement, which aimed
to inform the development of
consumer-focused policy in relation
to community pharmacy services.
Conducted by John Canning
from PricewaterhouseCoopers,
the survey of 3,000 consumers
was part of the Consumer Needs
project, with 35% of participants
reporting that they seek advice on
the treatment and management
of health conditions at their
community pharmacy.
Almost half of participants had
visited a pharmacy in the last week,
and 82% reported going to the
same pharmacy for most of their
pharmacy needs.
In terms of expectations
relating to community pharmacy,
consumers said they expect the
pharmacist to provide advice
on medicines, to offer a generic
version of a medicine if available,
to provide health advice on minor
conditions and to collaborate with
their GP if necessary.
16% of participants reported
going to their pharmacy in the
first instance ‘always’ or ‘most
of the time’ for information on
prescription medicines, compared
to 40% for information on OTC and
complementary medicines, and
34% for minor ailments.
Areas for improvement noted
by participants included more
information about complementary
medicines and their interaction
with prescription items, an
increased role in delivering
primary health care such as health
assessments, longer opening hours,
and electronic storage of medicine
records with direct transfer to GPs.
Guild national president, George
Tambassis, said the findings
“confirm the important role of
community pharmacy in the
Australian health system, and
provide valuable feedback for the
industry at a time when we are
looking to expand our role”.
He said the report also highlighted
the accessibility of pharmacy, in
terms of location, opening hours
and appointment-free visits,
“making pharmacy the first point of
contact for many consumers in the
health system”.
View the report at 5cpa.com.au.
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