Jeroen van de Pol

127 5 How does the general public balance convenience and cognitive pharmaceutical services Studies focusing on medical care indicate the implementation and effectiveness of additional care-related activities also depend on the amount of trust patients have in their physicians [39-41]. The same effect is probably true in community pharmacy practice. Patients predominantly prefer a community pharmacy that offers convenience and a convenient dispensing process [42]. Thus, community pharmacists unable to organize logistics may also reduce the amount of trust people have in their ability to provide CPS [43]. Community pharmacists should tailor their services to the needs of the population they serve. In general this implies focusing on the provision of convenience as this is preferred by the majority. But this should be done in tandem with the provision of CPS, as this is also perceived to be important. When addressing needs regarding convenience, this will probably provide a basis for the provision of CPS and address latent needs of patients. Conclusion In contrast to current development within the community pharmacy profession, the general public still predominantly prefers convenience over CPS. However, the general public also realizes the importance of CPS and does regard the community pharmacist predominantly as a healthcare provider. Community pharmacists should therefore uphold convenience (e.g. opening hours and maintaining an efficient and convenient dispensing process) and concomitantly offer CPS and raise awareness of their role as healthcare providers. Data availability The data used in this research is not available on request.