Satisfaction with Pharmacy Services among Patients Visiting Community Pharmacies at Anuradhapura Municipality Area in Sri Lanka

Background: Patient satisfaction with pharmacy services reflects the type and quality of the pharmacists’ services and the extent to which patients’ expectations are met. It enhances adherence and contributes to better health outcomes. Objectives: Our study aims to determine satisfaction with pharmacy services and associated factors among patients attending the Anuradhapura municipal council area community pharmacies. Materials and Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 411 adult patients, attending the community pharmacies in the Anuradhapura municipal council area of Sri Lanka. Data collection was performed using an interviewer-administered questionnaire via the Kobo Collect app. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. The association of sociodemographic and health-related factors on the satisfaction of pharmacy services was determined by the Chi-square test at a 95% confidence interval and a p-value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The response rate was 98.78%. The mean age of patients was 41.58±15.91 years. Less than half of patients only (46.1%) had good satisfaction with the pharmacy services. Age (p=0.027), educational qualification (p=0.027), employment status (p=0.042), monthly income (p=0.004), and number of medications used (p=0.037) had significant associations with satisfaction with pharmacy services. Conclusion: More than half of the patients’ satisfaction was poor. Identified unsatisfactory services and associated factors in this study could be considered to improve satisfaction among patients visiting the community pharmacies.