OBJECTIVES: To compare and contrast attributes that drive respondent selection of their community pharmacy: independent, grocery, chain or discount store, as it relates to having a prescription dispensed, using the determinant attribute approach.

METHODS: Convenience cross-sectional study of US adults were invited to complete a self-administered survey in Georgia, USA. Survey items were developed by building on a previous pharmacy patronage study (Franic et al., 2008). The determinant attribute, analogous to the clinimetric approach, uses a dual questioning approach to rate perceived importance and difference for each of the attributes (items) to determine respondent’s reasons for their pharmacy selection. Determinance was calculated by multiplying the importance by difference score for each of the 25 attributes assessing three factors: site and service (13 items), pharmacist (6 items) and staff (6 items) related.

RESULTS: Of the 704 respondents (48.8% male), with a mean age of 34.1years (SD=15.3) completing the survey, 81% reported patronizing the same pharmacy for a mean of 7.4years (SD=7.44), and the type they usually patronize for their prescriptions were: chain (42.2%), grocery (20.4%), independent (15.1%), discount stores (7.4%), and no usual pharmacy (9.4%). Pharmacist and staff related attributes (competency, friendliness, knowledge and caring) were determinants/drivers of pharmacy patronage independent of pharmacy type, with all pharmacist related attributes (reputation and familiarity) also being drivers for grocery and independent pharmacies. Patronage varied the most for site and service attributes: being the least relevant for independent (pharmacy reputation), and the most for discount (4/13) and chain (5 /13) pharmacies. Pharmacy location was only a driver for grocery pharmacies, acceptance of insurance was a driver for all except independents, and prescription price was not a driver.

CONCLUSIONS: In terms of pharmacy patronage, the greatest asset of any pharmacy, independent of setting are its people: both pharmacist and staff characteristics including competency, friendliness, knowledge and caring.