Assessing patient satisfaction with medication-related services in hospital settings: a cross-sectional questionnaire survey in China

Objective: There are few prior studies on patient satisfaction with medication-related services and the potential value of measurements of patient satisfaction to the development of pharmaceutical care service (PCS) strategies in China. The objectives of the current study were to assess patient satisfaction with medication-related services in Chinese tertiary hospitals, examine the possible impact of PCS on patient satisfaction, and form a development strategy to establish PCS strategy prioritization. Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 540 patients before discharge from units in 18 tertiary general hospitals in six cities. The participants assessed their satisfaction with the hospital's medication-related services based on a 7-point Likert-type scale. A comparative analysis between PCS and non-PCS pilot hospitals was conducted to evaluate the impact of PCS on patient satisfaction. Results: 501 valid questionnaires were collected: 247 samples from PCS pilot hospitals (PCS group) and 254 from non-PCS pilot hospitals (non-PCS group). Factor analysis resulted in three factors (dimensions): "consideration and explanation", "discharge instruction", and "efficacy and finance". The "efficacy and finance" scores indicated relative satisfaction with this dimension (mean = 5.63 +/- 1.36). However, the items "medication costs" and "other medical costs" were the lowest scored attributes (means = 4.98 +/- 1.62 and 4.95 +/- 1.63), indicating that most of the participants were dissatisfied with these financial attributes. The median score in the "consideration and explanation" dimension in the PCS group was 6.27, in comparison with 5.81 in the non-PCS group. This statistically significant difference (p < 0.01) demonstrates that the major impact of PCS on patient satisfaction is observed in the "consideration and explanation" dimension. Conclusions: This study revealed low patient satisfaction with the financial aspects of medication-related services, which must be improved to provide better inpatient hospital service. The clinical effectiveness of medication therapy at these 18 tertiary hospitals could meet patients' expectations, but PCS did not increase the level of patient satisfaction in the "efficacy and finance" dimension. Future PCS strategy in China should focus on improving the clinical and economic outcomes of medication-related services.http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000340233500005&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=8e1609b174ce4e31116a60747a720701Pharmacology & PharmacySCI(E)1ARTICLExinli@njmu.edu.cn7587-5975