Jeroen van de Pol

116 Chapter 5.1 In addition to CPS, community pharmacies also offer convenience such as extended opening hours and short waiting times. Currently, there is limited knowledge about how the general public balances CPS versus convenience. However, these preferences are expected to be influenced by the way the general public perceives the community pharmacist. This perception can impact the future development of a more clinical role of community pharmacists and should be considered when further developing the profession as a whole [21]. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify how the general public balances preferences regarding CPS and convenience provided by the community pharmacist. In addition, we aimed to assess the public’s perceived importance of the availability of these services. Methods Setting The Dutch Healthcare Consumer Panel facilitated by Nivel (Netherlands institute for health services research) was used for data collection [22]. This panel measures knowledge, experiences, and expectations regarding the Dutch healthcare system from the view of the general Dutch population. In 2018, the Consumer Panel consisted of approximately 12,000 people aged 18 years and older. The panel is formed by using address files from the general population and general practices of the Netherlands and inviting to partake in the panel. Panel members are not recruited via community pharmacies. The panel is renewed on a regular basis to prevent members developing a certain knowledge of the healthcare system, thereby no longer reflecting the knowledge of the general public and to prevent questionnaire fatigue. People cannot sign up for the panel on their own initiative but must be invited by Nivel. New potential members are purposively invited based on demographic characteristics, such as age and gender, aiming to create a panel representative of the Dutch general population. For each study, approximately 1,500 members of the Consumer Panel are invited to participate. Individual members are invited to participate in research approximately three to four times a year. Research is mostly conducted via (online) questionnaires, on which members can decide whether to fill out the complete questionnaire, only answer questions regarding a certain topic, or not participate at all. Resigning from the Consumer Panel can be done at any time. Privacy of panel members is guaranteed, since people who analyze the data do not have access to the personal information of the panel members. The panel is partly financed by the Dutch Ministry of Health. [22]