At the level of health facilities, auditable pharmaceutical transactions and services are a data-driven, creative, and all-inclusive set of initiatives intended to address concerns about effectiveness, accountability, transparency, and service quality. There is little data on how satisfied patients are with this new strategy, despite the fact that it is being used in many hospitals. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate patient satisfaction with Auditable Pharmaceutical Transactions and Services (APTS) at Wolkite University Specialized Hospital (WUSH) and to identify the main factors that influence satisfaction levels. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 147 patients who were enrolled in the outpatient hospital pharmacy service at WUSH between February 1 and May 29, 2024. Patients who satisfied the inclusion criteria were enlisted and asked to rate their level of satisfaction using a structured questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale. Following manual verification and coding, completed surveys were imported into SPSS (version 23) for analysis. We summarized the data using descriptive statistics, such as means, frequencies, and percentages. Inferential statistical analyses, such as multiple regression analysis and Pearson correlation, were also carried out. The survey revealed that 84.4% of the study unit were satisfied with the pharmacy’s location, 83.7% with the waiting area’s comfort and cleanliness, and 82.3% with how quickly prescriptions were processed. The majority of respondents were also pleased with how equitable the prices of medications were. Medication availability, however, saw a decline in satisfaction, with a lower percentage than other factors. Additionally, around one-third of subjects expressed discontent with the way the pharmacist described possible adverse effects. Approximately, 81% of respondents were generally satisfied with the outpatient pharmacy service. The results of the analysis demonstrated that promptness of service and the fairness of medicine costs are important predictors of overall patient satisfaction, accounting for 60.1% of its variance. Other variables, such as the availability of medication and an explanation of side effects, had less pronounced and non-significant impacts. Patients are generally rather pleased with the overall services offered by the outpatient pharmacy services of WUSH, according to the study. The availability of prescription drugs and the description of possible adverse effects, however, received less praise. Patient satisfaction with outpatient pharmacy services is strongly impacted by timely service and the fairness of prescription charges. Setting these areas as a top priority can significantly enhance the general patient experience.
Mengistu et al. (Tue,) studied this question.