Strategic planning by independent community pharmacies.
OBJECTIVE
(1) To assess the degree and level of use of the strategic planning process (none, partly, fully) by independent community pharmacy owners/managers and (2) to evaluate the relationships between independent community pharmacy owners/managers' level of strategic planning and indicators of pharmacy performance; including new and refill prescriptions filled, gross margin, rated patient care performance, rated dispensing performance, rated non-pharmacy performance, and rated financial performance.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
United States.


METHODS
Nationwide random sample of 1,250 owners/managers of independent community pharmacies.


METHODS
Mailed survey.


METHODS
Quality of strategic planning conducted; pharmacy performance measures.


RESULTS
Only 141 of 527 (26.8%) usable responses indicated use of some (77 pharmacies, 54.6%) or all (64 pharmacies, 45.4%) of the seven steps typical of strategic planning. Significant associations were observed between the level of strategic planning use and all pharmacy performance variables assessed, including indicators such as greater numbers of new and refill prescriptions dispensed, gross margins, patient care performance, dispensing performance, non-pharmacy performance, and financial performance.


CONCLUSIONS
Greater ratings of pharmacy performance were significantly associated with the level of strategic planning use. Respondents who fully used strategic planning had significantly higher indicators than partial users; respondents who partly used the process had significantly higher ratings than respondents who did not conduct strategic planning.
Harrison
Donald L
DL
College of Pharmacy, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, USA. donald-harrison@ouhsc.edu
D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D010934:Planning Techniques; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States