title: Quantitative study evaluating perception of general public towards role of pharmacist in health care system of Pakistan.
abstract: To investigate general public perception towards the role of pharmacist in developing countries' healthcare system was the main aim of this study, which would be the basic foundation for researching the treatment pattern of cognitive disorder after stroke in communities. The study population (sample size = 385) consisted of general public from Islamabad, Faisalabad and Lahore, Pakistan. Main sections of the questionnaire comprised of series of statements pertaining to consumer's perception and experience with the pharmacists. The response rate of study was 77.1%. A majority (80.1%) of the consumers knows who is pharmacist; 49.8% (n = 148) of the respondents found the pharmacist working in the pharmacies; 74.1% (n = 220) believed that pharmacist can guide them regarding their medicine. With respect to government efforts to improve services provided by community pharmacies, less percentage (31.0%) of the consumers were satisfied. Half of the respondents (59.9%) were expecting from the pharmacists to be knowledgeable drug therapy experts, whereas 61.3% (n = 182) expect from the pharmacists to educate them regarding safe and appropriate use of medication. The findings of this study conclude that the quality of pharmaceutical services provided is very low in Pakistan. There is a gap between the public and the pharmacist, which can only be filled by creating awareness among public regarding the pharmacist's role in healthcare system and by focusing on how services provided by the pharmacists can add improvement to general public health.
authors.forename: Xianglan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Saira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Azhar
authors.forename: Ghulam
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Murtaza
authors.forename: Feiran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Amara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mumtaz
authors.forename: Huanmin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Asia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taha
authors.forename: Yunling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001364:Awareness; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010465:Perception; D010595:Pharmacists; D024382:Professional Role; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011639:Public Opinion; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce; D055815:Young Adult