https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6547-6251
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ABSTRACT
Background
While previous research underscores the independent effect of the pharmacist-patient relationship on patient outcomes, it did not delve further into the patient-pharmacist relationship dynamics and their effects on reported outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to assess whether patient-pharmacist relationship aspects mediate the association between patient personal and health characteristics, on the one hand, and adherence to medication and quality of life, on the other hand (QOL).
Methods
An online cross-sectional study was conducted between April 11 and 27, 2023. It enrolled 865 adults from all Lebanese governorates and used validated scales to measure the various concepts.
Results
The mean age was 32.52 ± 14.56 years, and 68.8% were female. Also, 79.3% reported having no chronic disease, and 57.7% indicated that getting nonprescription medications was the main reason for visiting a community pharmacy. The average routine intake of medications per day was 0.87 ± 1.78. Our key findings reveal a compelling association between worse health status and both increased medication non-adherence and reduced QOL. Sociodemographic factors were found to be correlated with QOL. Despite the considerable impact of demographic factors on patient expectations, our study challenges the expected mediation role of the pharmacist-patient relationship and counseling time on medication adherence. Nevertheless, patient expectations partially mediated the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and QOL.
Conclusion
This study sheds light on the intricate dynamics between patient characteristics, health status, medication adherence, and QOL within the context of the patient-pharmacist relationships.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank all those who participated in this study by filling up and spreading the web-based online survey.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
List of abbreviations
IMPHACT-LB: Impact of the Modern Pharmacy Concept on Patient Therapy in Lebanon, QOL: quality of life, IFDFW: InCharge Financial Distress/Financial, KMO: Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin, LMAS: Lebanese Medication Adherence Scale, KMO: Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin, EQ-5D-5L: EuroQol five-dimensional five level, EQ-VAS: EuroQol visual analog scale, SPSS: Statistical package of social science, SE: Standard error, CI: confidence level.
Ethics approval and consent to participate
The Ethics and Research Committee at the Lebanese International University School of Pharmacy approved this protocol (2023RC-013-LIUSOP). The Helsinki Declaration’s ethical guidelines were followed in the conduct of this study.
Availability of data and materials
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Authors’ contribution
PS designed the study; HS, FS, CH, JS drafted the manuscript; PS, CH carried out the analysis and interpreted the results; RZ, AH, MA, PS assisted in drafting and reviewing the manuscript; PS supervised the course of the article, HS revised and edited the article edited for English language. All authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.