Adherence to Good Dispensing Practices by Hospital Pharmacists and the Patients’ Perception on the Dispensing Services Provided: A Cross-sectional

Abstract

Background: Pharmacists following Good Dispensing Practices (GDP) is essential in ensuring safe and effective medication use with acceptable patient satisfaction. Objectives: To assess the adherence of hospital outpatient department (OPD) pharmacists to the proper dispensing cycle and the patients’ perception on the services they receive from the OPD pharmacists in a Sri Lankan tertiary care hospital Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted at the OPD pharmacy of Teaching Hospital Jaffna. A structured checklist consisting of 32 evaluation points based on the critical steps of the standard dispensing cycle was developed to assess the dispensing practices of the OPD hospital pharmacists. The dispensing process followed by the hospital pharmacists was observed based on this checklist. The key patients’ perception of the quality of service they received from hospital pharmacists at OPD was assessed using a validated questionnaire focusing on communication, clarity of instructions, and overall interaction quality. Seven pharmacists working in the OPD were observed during 78 pharmacist-patient interactions. Patient responses for perception-related questions were given a score ranging from 0 to 30 where 0 indicates a negative perception. Results: On average, pharmacists adhered to about 25 out of the 32 checked steps in the dispensing cycle. Commonly overlooked steps were verifying the patient's identity, providing comprehensive counselling on drug usage, and confirming the patient's understanding of their prescribed medications. The mean±SD perception score was 24.2±1.7, indicating moderate satisfaction among patients with the services provided by the hospital pharmacists at OPD. Conclusion: Overall, the hospital pharmacists at OPD followed moderately acceptable GDP with respect to the standard dispensing cycle, achieving considerable satisfaction among the patients regarding their service.