OBJECTIVES: To determine the types of pharmacy services used by consumers, to determine what sources they accessed for information on health and prescription drugs, and to assess their satisfaction with these information sources. DESIGN: Telephone survey. SETTING: Households. PARTICIPANTS: Random sample of 1,201 consumers who reported having used the Internet during the previous 2 months and having filled at least one prescription within the past 6 months. RESULTS: Convenience continues to be the primary patronage motive for using a particular pharmacy, followed by price and service. Satisfaction with pharmacy services remains high, with 85% of respondents reporting being satisfied with the process of filling a new prescription and 90% being satisfied with the refill process. Exploratory analyses showed that respondents who reported they always asked questions of their pharmacists were consistently more satisfied with pharmacy services. Consumers ranked physicians and pharmacists as the first and second most important sources for drug information, and they were more satisfied with information obtained from these sources than they were with information obtained from print or electronic information sources. Thirty-six percent of respondents had searched the Internet for information on prescription medications within the past year. CONCLUSION: Convenience is still the primary determinant of pharmacy selection, and most consumers continue to use a single pharmacy. Exploratory analysis suggests a direct association between active information seeking from the pharmacist and consumers' satisfaction with pharmacy services.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the types of pharmacy services used by consumers, to determine what sources they accessed for information on health and prescription drugs, and to assess their satisfaction with these information sources. DESIGN: Telephone survey. SETTING: Households. PARTICIPANTS: Random sample of 1,201 consumers who reported having used the Internet during the previous 2 months and having filled at least one prescription within the past 6 months. RESULTS: Convenience continues to be the primary patronage motive for using a particular pharmacy, followed by price and service. Satisfaction with pharmacy services remains high, with 85% of respondents reporting being satisfied with the process of filling a new prescription and 90% being satisfied with the refill process. Exploratory analyses showed that respondents who reported they always asked questions of their pharmacists were consistently more satisfied with pharmacy services. Consumers ranked physicians and pharmacists as the first and second most important sources for drug information, and they were more satisfied with information obtained from these sources than they were with information obtained from print or electronic information sources. Thirty-six percent of respondents had searched the Internet for information on prescription medications within the past year. CONCLUSION: Convenience is still the primary determinant of pharmacy selection, and most consumers continue to use a single pharmacy. Exploratory analysis suggests a direct association between active information seeking from the pharmacist and consumers' satisfaction with pharmacy services.