Table 6 Barriers in providing pharmaceutical care services
Areas and statements of barrier | Mean Score (SD) | Number of respondents (%) [N = 420] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Strongly Disagree and Disagree | Slightly Disagree and Slightly Agree | Agree and Strongly Agree | ||
Time | ||||
Lack of time from your side. | 4.15 (1.32) | 67 (15.9) | 146 (34.8) | 207 (49.3) |
Patient or customer has no time. | 4.50 (1.11) | 38 (9.0) | 115 (27.4) | 267 (63.6) |
Space or privacy | ||||
Lack of space in the pharmacy premises for the patient's privacy. | 3.48 (1.46) | 143 (34.0) | 149 (35.5) | 128 (30.5) |
Finances | ||||
Lack of financial incentive. | 3.98 (1.46) | 99 (23.6) | 127 (30.2) | 194 (46.2) |
Increased operating cost. | 3.91 (1.41) | 98 (23.3) | 147 (35.0) | 175 (41.7) |
Resources | ||||
Shortage of manpower to provide the service | 4.55 (1.16) | 34 (8.1) | 121 (28.8) | 265 (63.1) |
Lack of training to provide the service | 4.04 (1.35) | 78 (18.6) | 145 (34.5) | 197 (46.9) |
Lack of material resources such as computer, internet access, pharmacy software | 3.48 (1.44) | 138 (32.9) | 159 (37.9) | 123 (29.2) |
Lack of hard copy references such as BNF, MIMS etc. | 2.81 (1.29) | 222 (52.9) | 140 (33.3) | 58 (13.8) |
Public awareness | ||||
Lack of public awareness that such service is available at your community pharmacy | 4.40 (1.19) | 46 (11.0) | 144 (34.3) | 230 (54.7) |
Supports from other health care providers | ||||
Restriction by pharmaceutical suppliers on access of certain medicines to your pharmacy | 4.19 (1.26) | 55 (13.1) | 163 (38.8) | 202 (48.1) |
Medicine price discrimination by pharmaceutical suppliers. | 4.99 (1.09) | 21 (5.0) | 81 (19.3) | 318 (75.7) |
Lack of acceptance by doctors on recommendation of medicine regimens by the pharmacist | 4.72 (1.05) | 17 (4.0) | 136 (32.4) | 267 (63.6) |
Government or professional health care Policy | ||||
Lack of dispensing separation which reduces the opportunity for patients who need pharmaceutical care to visit your pharmacy | 5.20 (1.01) | 14 (3.4) | 53 (12.6) | 353 (84.0) |
Lack of government's initiative for patients to obtain their prescribed medicines from your pharmacy | 5.16 (0.99) | 13 (3.1) | 55 (13.1) | 352 (83.8) |
Strict enforcement which prevents the supply of follow-up prescription medicines without a valid or complete prescription from doctors | 5.00 (1.15) | 20 (4.8) | 83 (19.8) | 317 (75.4) |
No standard guidelines by the government or professional bodies on pharmaceutical care services | 4.80 (1.11) | 23 (5.5) | 99 (23.5) | 298 (71.0) |
Support from employer (N = 233)a | ||||
Lack of support from your employer | 3.10 (1.40) | 100 (42.9) | 84 (36.1) | 49 (21.0) |