“My Regular Pharmacy”

Abstract

The objectives of this chapter are (1) to develop an instrument that incorporates the core attributes of evaluative criteria that are used by patients/customers in selecting and repeatedly visiting a community pharmacy, (2) to analyze the proposed attributes in order to put forward valid dimensions of evaluative criteria, and (3) to assess the reliability of this instrument. The selection criteria incorporated in the final list were selected based on an extensive literature review and on experts' and customers' opinions. To collect the data, a survey was conducted in the area of Macedonia, Greece. In total, 223 questionnaires were collected. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed a four-factor structure of the proposed instrument namely: price, availability of products, staff competence, and pharmaceutical care services. Moreover, reliability was assessed through Cronbach's alpha coefficient and average variance extracted. The current study outcomes can guide pharmacists' strategic actions in boosting customer patronage behavior in the highly competitive pharmaceutical sector.