Examining the association between the “My Pharmacist” model and the service quality of community pharmacies: A cross-sectional study in Japan

Abstract Background In Japan, patients can freely choose medical facilities. Many visit different medical facilities for different diseases, and for convenience, often utilize the pharmacies neighboring these facilities. Accordingly, a “My Pharmacy” model was recommended, in which patients select a single pharmacy using their own judgement to receive proper medication services. A “My Pharmacist” model, in which the pharmacist is constantly involved in the treatment of a patient, was also proposed. However, patients’ evaluations of pharmacist/pharmacy services under these models have not been investigated. Objective To examine how a patient's constant involvement with the same pharmacist and pharmacy is associated with their evaluation of the quality of pharmacy services. Methods A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted among patients who used pharmacies periodically. Patients evaluated the pharmacist/pharmacy services and were classified into 4 groups (“My Pharmacy/My Pharmacist,” “My Pharmacy/Multiple Pharmacists,” “Multiple Pharmacies/My Pharmacist,” and “Multiple Pharmacies/Multiple Pharmacists”) according to the form of their usage of pharmacies and pharmacists. An intergroup comparison was then performed and correlations within each group analyzed. Results Data from 3,492 individuals using 147 pharmacies were analyzed. “My Pharmacy” users had significantly higher scores than did “Multiple Pharmacies” users on patient experience of proper medication services (e.g., identifying duplicate medication) (p  Conclusion The findings indicate that highly tailored, in-person services provided by “My Pharmacists” are associated with not only with the degree of patients’ overall satisfaction, but also their evaluation of “the quality of pharmacist services.”