Jeroen van de Pol

149 5 Preferences of patients regarding community pharmacy services: A discrete choice experiment Class 2 (n=351, 14.3%) is probably most notable among the 4 classes, as participants belonging to class 2 do not have a clear preference regarding services provided by community pharmacies. This could be due to the study not containing attributes that participants within class 2 highly prefer, or not prefer at all. But this may also suggest that participants belonging to class 2 are satisfied with current community pharmacy practice and do not prefer an expanded role for community pharmacists, or lack a clear preference due to indifference regarding community pharmacy practice. Class 2 consists of relatively old people with more medicines in use compared to the other classes. Also, class 2 has a relatively high proportion of lower educated people. Perhaps these can be considered more conservative and less prone to change. Also, earlier research found that consumers have concerns regarding pharmacist training and qualifications, as well as limited privacy and extra costs when it comes to an expanded role of community pharmacists [26]. Class 3 (n=425, 17.3%) favors CPS over convenience. Class 3 highly prefers the dispensing of prescription drugs after counselling for minor ailments by community pharmacists, without a doctor’s prescription. This would give greater responsibility to the pharmacist, as he/she would also play a more prominent role in diagnosing as well as in choosing the adequate pharmacotherapy. In several countries such as the UK and Canada pharmacy prescribing for minor ailments is already possible under certain conditions [27] and was found that patients were positive towards a pharmacist prescribing. A review article studying the views and experiences of patients and the public regarding the prescribing pharmacist, shows that experiences of patients were generally positive [28]. Class 4 (n=864, 35.1%) also favors CPS over convenience but predominantly prefers community pharmacies that offer point-of-care-testing (POCT), as well as community pharmacies providing advice regarding pharmacogenetics. This could imply a preference of patients for a greater involvement of the community pharmacist in offering diagnosis material and consultation and thereby providing insights to patients themselves. A previous study suggested that PGx testing in community pharmacy practice is feasible, because patients are interested and it consumes little additional time from the pharmacist [29]. A systematic literature review concluded that community pharmacies are well suited to deliver POCT and with satisfactory quality and effectiveness. It also showed that interventions coming from POCT were effective overall [30]. Another study showed that consumers are willing to pay for POCT from community pharmacies [31].