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Patient Awareness, Willingness, and Barriers to Pharmacist-Managed Clinics in a Chinese Tertiary Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Purpose: To assess patient awareness, willingness, and barriers regarding pharmacist-managed clinics (PMCs) in a Chinese tertiary hospital, and to examine the gap between selection of free pharmaceutical care services and willingness to attend PMCs. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional survey used an electronic questionnaire with on-site investigator support. Adult outpatients and inpatients were recruited from Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province between July and August 2026. Convenience sampling was adopted, and participants with medical or pharmaceutical backgrounds were excluded. Data were collected via QR codes on mobile devices. Descriptive statistics and chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests were used. Results: 174 valid questionnaires were analyzed (96.67% of 180 participants). Awareness was extremely low, with 95.40% having never heard of PMCs. For medication-related problems, 93.10% preferred physicians. Only 27.59% of patients might attend PMCs, while 72.41% would not. The most reported barriers were that physicians already handled medication needs (70.11%), unfamiliarity with PMC services (36.78%), and concern about consultation fees (20.69%). Although 74.71% selected medication guidance when services were free, those who did were no more willing to attend than those who did not (27.69% vs 27.27%, P=0.957). Willingness was highest at ages 40– 60 years (60.00%) and lowest at ≥ 61 years (16.22%, P< 0.001). In 2025, the hospital recorded 1.6 million outpatient visits and 209 PMC encounters, a PMC encounter-to-outpatient-visit ratio of 0.013%. This ratio is not a patient utilisation rate. Outpatients were more sensitive to consultation fees than inpatients (29.17% vs 10.26%, χ 2 =9.38, P=0.002). Conclusion: Despite policy promotion, awareness and willingness to attend PMCs were low. Even patients who selected medication guidance when free were not more willing to attend. Low uptake may reflect a service model misaligned with patients’ care-seeking pathways. Future research should evaluate physician-referral or clinically embedded models. Keywords: pharmacist-managed clinic, patient awareness, patient preference, pharmaceutical service

Source: Patient Preference and Adherence

DOI: 10.2147/ppa.s649917

Authors: Xiaojing Luo, Bo Yang, Pinpin Feng, Lisong Lv, Nanmei Chen

Institutions: Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province

Language: English

Topic: Pharmacy and Medical Practices

Subfield: Pharmacy

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,836