Reliability and validity of the Malay version of the drive-thru community pharmacy service questionnaire and the Malaysian public’s awareness, attitudes, and perceptions of drive-thru community pharmacy during COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction

Understanding general public's experiences of using drive-thru pharmacies during COVID-19 in different countries is imperative for establishing these services by standardizing global guidelines for drive-thru pharmacies. The objectives of this study were to validate a Malay version of the drive-thru community pharmacy service questionnaire for use among Malaysians and to obtain a better understanding of the public’s awareness, attitudes, and perceptions of drive-thru community pharmacy service during COVID-19.

Methods

This study was a cross-sectional study, conducted online using a Google form survey using a convenient sampling method among the Malaysian public. The English version of the drive-thru community pharmacy service questionnaire was translated into the Malay language according to international guidelines. The content and face validity of the questionnaire were examined by experts. Then, the questionnaire was pilot tested on 15 native speakers. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. The test–retest reliability was measured with Cohen’s κ coefficient.

Results

A total of 519 participants completed the questionnaire. Face and content validity were satisfactory, as noticed by both the experts and pilot study participants. For test–retest reliability (32 participants), most perception statements had very good coefficient agreement values. Cronbach’s alpha of the perception part was 0.833, indicating strong internal consistency. The median age of study participants was 50.0 (IQR = 31.0) and about half of them were females (50.3%, n = 261). Despite 20.4% (n = 106) of the participants reported that the drive-thru community pharmacy service was available in their cities, only 10.4% (n = 54) reported using it. Most participants were in favor of introducing drive-thru services in community pharmacies throughout the country. Drive-thru community pharmacies, according to more than half of the participants (n = 394), would be beneficial to the public. Participants acknowledged that community pharmacies with drive-thru services were useful during the COVID-19 and quarantine periods due to the enhanced social distance 43.5% (n = 226), reduced the spread of the COVID-19 virus 47.0% (n = 244), and relieved pressure on other healthcare settings 38.2% (n = 198).

Conclusions

The translated questionnaire was valid and reliable in assessing the perceptions toward drive-thru community pharmacy service during COVID-19 in Malaysia. The participants expressed good awareness and favorable attitudes and perceptions toward drive-thru community pharmacy service during COVID-19. Furthermore, they perceived those services helped to increase social isolation and stop the COVID-19 virus from spreading.

Keywords:

• Reliability and validity
• Awareness
• Public
• Drive-thru community pharmacy services
• Perceptions
• Pharmacy
• COVID-19

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s40545-023-00666-6.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s40545-023-00666-6.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the participants and data collectors of the study.

Institutional review board statement

Ethical approval was obtained from the Human Research Ethics Committee of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) (Reference code: USM/JEPeM/21110755). Before beginning the first section of the instrument, those who accepted to participate in the study, electronically signed the consent form.

Author contributions

Conceptualization, BFA, SCO.; methodology, BFA, SCO, and R.H.; validation, BFA, LA, and HZA; formal analysis, BFA, LA and HZA; data curation, BFA and HZA.; writing—original draft preparation; BFA writing—review and editing, BFA, SCO, RH, and HZA; visualization, SCO and RH; supervision, SCO and RH; project administration, BFA. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

No funding to disclose.

Availability of data and materials

The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author/s. All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article [and its Additional files].

Declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Supplementary Information

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