Perceptions of British Columbia residents and their willingness to pay for medication management services provided by pharmacists.

Background: Across Canada, pharmacists have expanded their scope of practice by performing medication management (MM) services. However, little is currently known about the opinions and attitudes of patients and the general population toward MM services. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey, including a best-worst scaling task, was designed to understand the general public’s opinions, preferences and willingness-to-pay with respect to MM services in British Columbia. Results: Of 977 individuals contacted, 819 responded to the questionnaire (84% response rate). The mean age was 45 years (standard deviation [SD] 16 years), and 37% were male. Overall, 93% of respondents felt that the medication advice from their pharmacist resulted in improvement in patient outcomes and/or medication use. This was also selected as the “best” attribute of MM, while other preferred attributes of MM included being able to obtain an appointment with the pharmacist on the same day or via walk-in, improved patient-physician relationships and MM sessions able to be completed in 15 minutes with the pharmacist. The average willingness to pay for MM was $24.55 (SD $21.44). Younger males with higher household income and those who had had MM in the past were willing to pay more for MM services out of pocket. Discussion and Conclusion: The accessibility of pharmacists was valued highly by respondents who, overall, were supportive of MM services and recognized the potential of pharmacists’ involvement in drug therapy management to improve patient outcomes and medication use. Alternative models of funding are worth considering for the sustainability of MM service provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]