What do pharmacy users think of free pharmacy services? Investigating pharmacy users' perceptions, attitudes and willingness to pay for free healthcare from pharmacies

BACKGROUND: Evidence exists of pharmacists providing free or partially subsidised clinical services in order to meet patient healthcare needs. Little is known about how patients perceive the quality and importance of such unfunded services to their healthcare. OBJECTIVES: To explore pharmacy user perspectives about unfunded services such as their valuation, why they chose to access these services from the pharmacy as well as their willingness to pay should pharmacies need to start charging for the provision of such services owing to budgetary constraints. METHODS: This study was nested in a larger nationwide study where 51 pharmacies were recruited across fourteen locations across New Zealand . Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients who had accessed unfunded services in community pharmacies. Patients were followed up to identify their percieved health outcomes resulting from accessing the unfunded service. RESULTS: A total of 253 patient interviews were conducted on-site across 51 pharmacies in New Zealand. Two main themes were identified pertaining to (1) patient-provider relationship and (2) Willingness to pay. A total of fifteen different considerations were found to influence pharmacy users' decisions to access health services from the pharmacy. It was found that 62.8% of patients were willing to pay for unfunded services and the majority paying NZD$10. CONCLUSION: Patients positively rate these services and largely deem them important for their healthcare. Willingness to pay for services were also variable between patients and were dependant on the type of service accessed.