Customer feedback as a tool for improving pharmacy services

The quality of pharmacy services can be assessed by using both profession-based measures and customer feedback. The aim of this population-based survey (n=848) in Finland was to evaluate how well the existing service level matched customer expectations and to examine whether pharmacy-specific quality dimensions derived from recent service quality models were found in population-based data. The survey indicated that the Finns seemed to be very satisfied with the professional competence and trustworthiness of pharmacy personnel. The highest dissatisfaction was experienced with queuing times, privacy and time for customer-pharmacist interaction (40 per cent). Pharmacies also seem to have various opportunities to extend their services beyond traditional dispensing, especially in the field of patient counselling and diagnostic screening. The importance of customer-based feedback through surveys will grow in the future when trying to develop pharmacy services. This study shows that theoretical models of service quality dimensions are suitable for processing the data although the methodology needs further development.