OBJECTIVES

: This study aims to reveal the status quo of pharmaceutical care system in China.

METHODS

: A large sample survey for primary health care institution administrators and face-to-face questionnaire surveys for general practitioners, pharmaceutical care providers and patients of primary health care institution were conducted in primary health care institutions in Jiangsu province of China to collect data on the installation of pharmaceutical facilities and devices, staffing of pharmaceutical professionals, pattern of pharmaceutical care provision and outcomes of pharmaceutical care following a conceptual framework derived from Structure-Process-Outcome model.

RESULTS

: The survey covered 665 primary health care institutions. Pharmaceutical department (63.0%), dispensary (50.2%) and pharmacy intravenous admixture services (54.1%) were not established in a large proportion of primary health care institutions. A large proportion of Pharmaceutical care providers were only with a highest educational degree of education lower than Undergraduate (lower than the junior college = 2.8%, technical secondary school = 20.5%, junior college = 38.1%). The responsibilities of drug purchase and drug safety were undertaken by various roles. Dispensing (22.9%), pharmacotherapy consultation for patients (19.3%), drug management (17.4 %) and prescription checking (16.5%) were the most important work of PC providers. Most general practitioners (64.6%) adopt the pharmaceutical care providers’ advices. Patients’ satisfactions were lower with dissemination of medication use knowledge (8.85%+1.00%), treatment of adverse drug reactions (5.65%+0.50%), medical insurance reimbursement (15.25%+2.45%) and convenience of buying drugs (6.35%+0.65%).

CONCLUSIONS

: This study found several noteworthy issues that may hamper the development of PC systems of PHCs, including the absence of a pharmaceutical department, dispensary and PIVAs, the challenge of higher education background of the PC providers, the ambiguous responsibilities of drug purchase and drug safety, the disordered responsibilities and duties of PC providers, and the patients’ satisfaction with dissemination of medication use knowledge, convenience of buying drug and the rate of medical insurance reimbursement.