Patient satisfaction on personalized counseling in community pharmacy in Belgium :a pilot study

Advices to the patient on medication is a key role of community pharmacists. Since several years, theBelgian Pharmacist Association (APB) developed patient information leaflets (PILs) helping pharmacists to satisfy thisrequirement. Written information about drug treatment has been shown to reinforce oral communication. Data concerningthe patients’ satisfaction about personalized counseling and PILs are lacking in Belgium. The aims of the study were toassess (1) the patients’ perception of their medication knowledge (2) their need of information (3) their satisfaction onpersonalized medication counseling(4) their perceived quality of PILs.Materials & Methods: Prospective study in 2 community pharmacies including patients with 3 or more prescribedmedications. Two structured interviews were realized on 21 patients, before and after personalized medicationcounseling (verbal counseling, PILs and medication schedule if not already used by patients). A total of 47 PILs wereprovided to the patients. Evaluation of PILs quality was based on the expanded EQIP tool [1]. Descriptive statistics wereused to analyze the results.Results: (1) 14%, 32%, 41%, 9%, and 4% of patient have a very good, good, medium, bad and very bad perception oftheir medication knowledge, respectively. 77% are rather satisfied on information received on medication. (2)Patients’need of information: 33% and 62% would like to be better informed about their disease and medication,respectively. The need of information mostly (> 50%) refers to therapeutic effect, side effect, contraindications andmedication interactions. Only 18% would like to receive a personalized counseling about their medication.(3) Afterpersonalized counseling, 81% of patients are fully satisfied with information received, 14% satisfied, and 5% unsatisfied.Concerning the verbal counseling, 33%, 57 %, and 10% of patients consider it as very important, rather important, notvery important, respectively. Similar results are obtained with written information. However, 90% of patients report that,usually, they never receive PILs from their pharmacist.(4) Using the criteria of the EQIP tool, the majority of the patients(> 50%) are fully satisfied with the content and structure of the PILs. 70% and 55% of patients reported the PILs to beuseful for their theoretical and practical medication knowledge, respectively.Discussion, Conclusion: This pilot study suggests a positive impact of personalized medication counseling onperceived patient knowledge. The majority of the patients are fully satisfied with verbal counseling and with PILsprovided. Pharmacists should promote PILs as a useful resource. Larger studies measuring the impact of thisintervention on patient competence and adherence need to be performed.