Current perceptions and demands of home pharmacy services: a survey of medical staff and community-dwelling patients in Shanghai of China

Abstract

Abstract Background In response to the challenges posed by an aging demographic, China has recently embraced home pharmacy services. Our study aims to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and demands of home pharmacy services in Shanghai, China, and pinpoint challenges from the vantage points of both healthcare providers and community-dwelling patientsMethod A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted among medical practitioners in community health centers and residents within five districts of Shanghai, China from March–October 2022. The Chi-square test or Fisher's exact probability method was employed to assess the distributions of categorical variables across different groups. A logistic regression model was utilized to evaluate factors associated with demands for home pharmacy services.Result A total of 283 medical practitioners and 172 community-dwelling patients were included. They expressed positive attitudes but finite familiarity and confidence to home pharmacy services. Medication guidance/education was the top service, favored by 89.0% of practitioners and 83.1% of patients. Service providers varied, with 33.2% of practitioners preferring residents' self-governing organizations and 62.8% of patients favoring pharmacists in secondary and tertiary hospitals. Logistic regression highlighted age, professional role, and education significantly influence their demands. Preferences for home pharmacy service modalities differed significantly (P < 0.001), with practitioners leaning towards the "team mode" (39.6%) and patients preferring the "pharmacist-physician mode" (42.4%). Furthermore, 75.0% patients were willing to spend 50 RMB or less per visit, with those aged 60 or older (P < 0.001) and those with education below a bachelor's degree (P = 0.001) favoring payments of 10 RMB or less per visit.Conclusion Study revealed the discrepancy and disparity between service supply and demand. Common implementation challenges and diverse preferences emerged for home pharmacy services. Exploring larger sample sizes and personalized system designs for future research is recommended.