Cross Sectional Study on Public's Opinions about Community Pharmacists as Health Care Provider in Zawiya City, Libya

Abstract

Background: Pharmacists are crucial in providing patient care and offering drug medication services within the society.
However, this remains uncertain whether or not the public completely recognizes the extent of pharmacists' capabilities as
essential Health service practitioner. This research seeks to explore Public views on Pharmacists in community settings and
assess the degree of gratification with the services they offer.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional design research was carried out over a period of three months from October,
2023 through January, 2024 in Zawia city, Libya. A self-administered questionnaire was employed, containing questions
about the respondents' demographic properties and their satisfaction with pharmacy services. Descriptive statistics were
utilized to analyze the data.
Results: availability, knowledge and flexibility of pharmacists as well as their counseling services affected public opinion.
95% of those surveyed said they receive respectful treatment from community pharmacists. The majority (58.5%) chose
"Both" indicating they respected the opinions of both pharmacists and doctors. This shows faith in both medical practitioners'
qualifications. Doctors' opinions were slightly more solely respected (25.0%) than those of merely pharmacists (13.9%). A
little over 78.9% of respondents said they received distinct guidance from pharmacists on the drugs they are taking, and
65.3% said they trusted the advice of pharmacists regarding prescription drugs. Nearly, half of public (49.9%) think of
pharmacists as medical experts.
Conclusions: Factors influencing customers’ opinions included the accessibility and expertise of pharmacists, service
efficiency, medication knowledge, and counseling.