Elderly consumers’ satisfaction with the quality of community pharmacy services in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: a Q-methodology study

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to understand elderly consumers’ satisfaction on the community pharmacy services in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Materials and methods: A sample of 32 consumers, aged over 60, was recruited in four pharmacies in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from December, 2017 to January, 2018. Q-methodology was used to identify the patterns of consumers’ satisfaction. Results: Two distinct patterns of elderly consumers’ viewpoints toward the community pharmacy services were identified. Elderly consumers in viewpoint 1 were satisfied with the geographic accessibility of community pharmacies. Elderly consumers in viewpoint 2 were satisfied with the affordability of medicines. However, consumers of both viewpoints expressed dissatisfaction with the pharmacy staff counseling on missed doses, storage, side effects, and interactions of medicines. Conclusion: The results from this study suggest that pharmacy staff need to spend more time for consultations on proper medication use with elderly consumers.

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