Patient perception and satisfaction with community pharmacy services in Erbil: a cross-sectional study

Background and objective: Community pharmacies play a crucial role in healthcare, offering accessible medication dispensing and patient-centered services. Their responsibilities have expanded to include pharmaceutical care that enhances treatment outcomes. Patient satisfaction influences adherence and pharmacist relationships. This study examines patient perceptions and satisfaction with community pharmacy services in Erbil city-Iraq, considering socio-demographic factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in community pharmacies across Erbil, Kurdistan-Iraq, from September 2024 to March 2025. A total of 800 patients participated, selected through a multistage sampling method. First, 20 pharmacies were chosen randomly, and using convenience sampling, 40 patients were selected from each pharmacy. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 27), applying statistical tests such as the Chi-square and T-tests. A P-value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result: Prescription pickup (53.4%) was the main reason for pharmacy visits. Satisfaction was high for pharmacist knowledge (71.1%) and communication (72.8%), though issue resolution (37.5%) and collaboration with healthcare providers (48.4% neutral) needed improvement. Most of the respondent (64.6%) preferred doctors for consultations. Conclusion: Patient satisfaction with community pharmacy services in Erbil was high, particularly regarding pharmacist expertise, communication, and convenience. However, there is a need to strengthen communication with healthcare providers and to establish more effective procedures for addressing patient complaints and service-related issues. Educated patients showed higher expectations, highlighting the need for better pharmacist-patient communication.