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Evaluation of pharmacy value-added services in public health facilities: Staff perception and cost analysis

Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, ISSN: 2667-2766, Vol: 5, Page: 100120
2022
  • 4
    Citations
  • 0
    Usage
  • 56
    Captures
  • 0
    Mentions
  • 96
    Social Media
Metric Options:   Counts1 Year3 Year

Metrics Details

  • Citations
    4
    • Citation Indexes
      3
    • Policy Citations
      1
      • Policy Citation
        1
  • Captures
    56
  • Social Media
    96
    • Shares, Likes & Comments
      96
      • Facebook
        96

Article Description

Pharmacy Value Added Services (VAS) were introduced in Malaysian public health facilities to facilitate the process of medicine collection. Examples include Drive-through pharmacy, Medicine by Post, SMS Take&Go, Appointment Card and medicine locker, commonly referred to as Medibox. To assess the perception of VAS among pharmacy staff, and to compare the time and cost needed to prepare medications for VAS and conventional counter service. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 17 public health facilities across Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya from May until September 2020. There were two parts of this study: 1) a survey on the perception of VAS among pharmacy staff, which assessed respondents' experience of handling VAS and their perception towards the services; and 2) a cost analysis to compare the direct cost of preparing refill medications for VAS and conventional counter service, estimated from average salary and direct non-medical cost. 290 respondents answered the survey. Most respondents had a positive opinion about VAS. Lack of storage and insufficient manpower were the top two barriers in VAS utilisation and implementation as perceived by pharmacy staff. The average time (in minutes) needed to prepare one prescription was highest for Medicine by Post service (10.31), followed by Medibox (10.25), Appointment Systems (6.24) and conventional counter service (3.99). Medibox had the highest average cost per prescription (RM5.49), followed by Medicine by Post (RM5.05), Appointment Systems (RM2.89) and conventional counter service (RM1.75). The majority of the respondents involved in this study acknowledged the benefits of VAS to patients, but there were aspects of the services that could be improved. Preparation of patient medication for VAS requires significantly more time and cost than conventional counter service, indicating the need to review and streamline implementation of the services.

Bibliographic Details

Yussof, Izzati; Ibrahim, Nor Haizan; Che Ayub, Asilah; Ab Hashim, Norsyazana; Choon, Ching Ju; Chee, Chew Yee; Abdul Rani, Asma Amalina; Hashim, Helmi Hafiz

Elsevier BV

Environmental Science; Medicine; Health Professions

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