1 research outputs found
Factors associated with the usage of pharmacy value-added services at public health clinics in the state of Perlis, Malaysia
Pharmacy value-added services were developed to make it easier for patients to
refill their chronic prescriptions in public health facilities in Malaysia. However,
little is known about patients’ awareness, attitudes and practice towards pharmacy
value-added services provided by health clinics. This study was conducted to
investigate factors associated with the usage of pharmacy value-added services
at public health clinics in Perlis, Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted
from January to March 2021 at the pharmacy waiting area of all public health clinics
in Perlis. All patients (≥18 years old) taking chronic medications and with the need
to follow-up at the health clinic in Perlis were recruited in this study using quota
sampling. Data was collected using a validated self-administered questionnaire.
Descriptive analyses on the usage, awareness and attitudes of respondents
were performed, followed by multiple logistic regression. A total of 582 patients
responded to this study (response rate, 97.0%). Only 12.9% of respondents used
pharmacy value-added services offered by health clinics. Age, gender, ethnicity,
education level, occupation, monthly household income, length of stay in Perlis,
distance from home to the clinic, total awareness and attitudes scores were factors
significantly associated with the practice of pharmacy value-added services after
adjusting for other variables (p<0.05). In conclusion, the proportion of patients
using pharmacy value-added services at health clinics in Perlis is still low. The
study’s findings suggest that a more extensive promotion of pharmacy value-added
services is needed to ensure more patients could benefit from these services