Developing anchored measures of patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care delivery: Experiences versus expectations

BACKGROUND: A pilot study was undertaken to evaluate patients’ satisfaction with pharmaceutical care (PC) activities delivered at community pharmacies. The objectives of the study were to: (1) operationalize patient satisfaction in terms of the advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) PC activities, (2) conduct psychometric analysis of the satisfaction instrument, and (3) assess the sensitivity of the instrument to detect any differences that may exist between what patients expect to receive versus what is actually experienced. METHODS: Pharmacies affiliated with two national chains were recruited to participate. Asthma patients at each of these sites were invited to complete a survey designed to assess their expectations of and their experiences with PC at the respective site. RESULTS: One hundred forty-seven surveys were completed from patients in 19 community pharmacies. Psychometric analysis confirmed the survey’s internal reliability and sensitivity to be very high. Data analysis suggested that most patients expect more from PC services than they actually experienced. CONCLUSION: Unlike other PC satisfaction surveys, this instrument allows patient experiences to be anchored against their expectations. The results suggest that most patients would be willing to engage in PC activities outlined in the survey.