Parent Satisfaction with Pharmacist Services, Pharmacy Use, and Requirements for Improvement: A Questionnaire Survey

Although parents of young children are often anxious about administering medication to their wards, they tend to hesitate about consulting with pharmacists. The purpose of this study was to evaluate parent satisfaction with pharmacist services and pharmacy use, identify items for improvement, and explore the reasons reported by parents who would not consult a pharmacist. An online cross-sectional survey of 1788 parents (aged ≥18 years) of children aged <6 years was conducted. A customer satisfaction analysis comprising 11 items from the survey was also carried out. The mean overall satisfaction score was 3.97. The analysis identified "explanation of medication," "time spent on explanation," "answers to questions," and "pharmacist attitude" as priority maintenance areas. Conversely, "explanation of daily precautions" and "ease of consultation" were identified as priority improvement areas. Additionally, the analysis identified "consideration for privacy" as an area with substantial room for improvement. Further, 20.2% of respondents answered that they would not consult a pharmacist, primarily because they had "already consulted a doctor" or perceived the pharmacists as "too busy." These results suggest that consideration for privacy may be one area in which pharmacy services could be improved, and perceived pharmacist busyness was one of the reasons reported by respondents as a barrier. Although parents expressed high satisfaction with direct medication guidance, pharmacies may be able to provide services that lead to even higher satisfaction among parents by ensuring physical privacy, actively explaining precautions regarding daily care, and creating a welcoming environment.