Revista Portuguesa de Farmacoterapia (Jul 2014)
Willingness to Pay (Vontade para Pagar) por um Serviço de Preparação Individualizada da Medicação (PIM)
Abstract
Introduction: The Dose Administration Aids is a useful method for the therapeutic management in elderly and polymedicated patients enabling greater ease in the administration of the right drug at the right day and time. The use of this system contributes to enhanced adherence, with clear benefits in achieving maximum effectiveness and safety of the drug, thus leading to a better quality of life. Objectives: To determine the perceived utility of a DAA system; to assess the patient’s willingness to receive and pay for this service. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 3 purposively selected pharmacies, located in the Grande Lisboa e Vale do Tejo and Alentejo regions. Adult pharmacy clients entering these pharmacies during the study period (1 day in each pharmacy) were invited to participate in the study. The information was collected through a questionnaire with 5 questions that began with a brief explanation of the DAA system (verbal and image), and then evaluated the perceived utility of the service and their Willingness to Pay for it. The results were processed using SPSS version 19.0 using bivariate statistical analysis (student t-tests and chi-square) and working with a confidence interval of 95%. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of ISCSEM. Results: A sample of 267 pharmacy users was collected, including mostly female (65.9%); the mean age was 56.24 years (SD = 17,824; {19-90}). Most respondents (n=154; 58%) considered the service useful for themselves, or for others (n=188; 70%). Additionally, 53.4% of participants (n=142) said they would be willing to pay for the service if it was provided by the pharmacy. It was found that perceived utility was associated with adherent behaviour, where those considered non-adherent perceived the service as more useful (p <0.001). Perceived utility was also associated with willingness to pay, where perception of greater utility led to greater Willingness to Pay (p<0.001). Conclusion: This study suggests that the DAA system may be feasible in community pharmacy, given the great proportion considering it a useful service for themselves or others. Additionally, a significant proportion of potential users is willing to pay for the service, albeit perhaps not enough to cover all its costs. Although it should be considered that collected data are not generalizable to other regions of the country, results are motivating for those keen to invest in the provision of enhanced services.
