A provincial survey of patient experiences while receiving care from pharmacists in team-based primary care in British Columbia, Canada.

INTRODUCTION

The Pharmacists in PCN Program integrated primary care clinical pharmacists as a core members of the interprofessional team in Primary Care Networks (PCNs) across British Columbia (BC), Canada. Patient experiences after receiving care from pharmacists in a team-based primary care setting have not been extensively studied.

AIM

To describe patient experiences while receiving care from a pharmacist as a member of the interprofessional team in PCNs across BC.

METHOD

A survey was conducted over a 66-week period between May 30, 2022 and September 1, 2023, and was administered online through Qualtrics®. A questionnaire was distributed to 2714 patients who completed their initial patient appointment with a pharmacist and had a valid e-mail in their health record.

RESULTS

We analyzed responses from 787 questionnaires (29.0% response) representing all 23 PCN communities (42 PCNs) active during the survey period. The mean (SD) age of respondents was 65.3 (14.7) years, 60.5% were female and 81.5% identified as White. Patients reported a high overall satisfaction (strongly agree/agree) with their experience of care provided by their pharmacist. Patients felt listened to during their appointment (93.2%, 703/754), that conditions, medications and their treatments were explained in a manner that was easy to understand (92.4%, 697/754), and that they were given an opportunity to ask questions (92.4%, 697/754). Pharmacists were highly acknowledged for showing sensitivity to patient values, needs and preferences (88.7%, 669/754), and that patients were treated with dignity and respect (94.6%, 713/754). Patients reported improved understanding of their medications and their health as well as increased confidence and motivation regarding their health and medication. Nearly all patients (95.3%, 714/749) wanted to see the same pharmacist again and 94.9% (711/749) would recommend their pharmacist to a friend/family member. Patients felt engaged with the decision-making process around their medications, and valued the process pharmacists used when helping them make decisions.

CONCLUSION

Patients reported an overall high degree of satisfaction with their experiences of care provided by pharmacists in a team-based primary care model in BC. Patients reported improved understanding and confidence of the medications and their health and reported positive experiences with the shared decision-making process.