New Scale Measuring Willingness to Deliver Pharmaceutical Care to Elderly (WPhCAReELD Scale)

Ageism is existence of stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination against the elderly; it is prevalent in general population, but also among the healthcare workers. The aim of this study was to develop and test a new scale for assessing willingness of pharmacists to offer pharmaceutical care to elderly patients. The study was designed as cross-sectional testing the reliability of the newly created questionnaire. The questionnaire was prepared through work of a focus group, following the eight-steps method, and administered by internet. The scale WPhCareEld showed good internal consistency and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha was 0.726) in a sample of community pharmacists, and its factor analysis showed that the scale is measuring four domains: willingness of community pharmacists to care for elderly patients through direct and indirect communication with prescribers, how the pharmacists value elderly patients, and whether the pharmacists have prejudices against elderly patients. The study confirmed reliability and internal consistency of newly designed questionnaire for measuring willingness of community pharmacist to give pharmaceutical care to elderly patients.