[Assessment of quality as perceived by users of an outpatient pharmaceutical care unit].
OBJECTIVE
To assess quality of care by an Outpatient Pharmaceutical Care Unit (OPCU) from patient satisfaction regarding the unit s premises and activities.


METHODS
A transversal study performed at the OPCU using a patient survey. Patient opinions were obtained regarding structural aspects, pharmaceutical care, patient information, overall satisfaction, and preference for care in the OPCU or pharmacy office. The response variable was the presumed choice for the OPCU or traditional pharmacy office. A multivariate analysis using logistic regression was used to evaluate the independent effect of variables.


RESULTS
In all, 256 surveys were administered, of which 195 were assessable. Response rate was 76%. Responses with highest scores included communication and interaction with professionals (4.8 points on average) and care received (4.5 points). Worst assessments included OPCU s timetable (3.8 points) and location (3.9 points); 98.4% of patients were satisfied or very satisfied with care received, and only 18.4% would switch to the pharmacy office if allowed to. The multivariate analysis suggested that variables associated with the pharmacy office choice included a negative rating of OPCU s location (OR 9.8, CI 1.3-76.8) and a negative rating of information delivered (OR 4.1, CI 1.7-9.8); p < 0.05.


CONCLUSIONS
Information received and OPCU s location had the greatest impact on patient satisfaction. Patient remarks and suggestions were very useful to identify areas of improvement, and to introduce modification suiting their views.
Antón Torres
R
R
Servicios de Farmacia y Medicina Preventiva Hospital General Universitario, Alicante, Spain. anton_ros@gva.es
Murcia López
A
A
Borrás Blasco
J
J
Navarro Gracia
J F
JF
Navarro Ruiz
A
A
González Delgado
M
M
D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000592:standards*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires