OBJECTIVES

: In the context of reforming the Ukraine health care system, it is important to explore the current state of the implementation of pharmaceutical care (PC) in a common pharmacy and to identify possible ways for its improvement.

METHODS

: For the estimation of PC quality a survey of pharmacists in 280 drugstores in 10 regions of Ukraine was conducted. The questionnaire "The tool for self-assessment of the quality of pharmaceutical care" proposed by CD-P-PH & CD-P-PH/PC and adapted for Eastern Europe countries was used. Estimation of overall quality takes into account the PC quality during the assistance of pharmacy visitors in the dinspensing of prescription drugs, OTC-drugs as well as provision of diagnostic services. The results were evaluated using non-parametric statistics analysis.

RESULTS

: Most of observed pharmacies (64%) serve from 100 to 500 people per day. The overall assessment of the PC quality in most cases (71%) was unsatisfactory. The differences between the PC quality during the assistance of pharmacy visitors in the dinspensing of prescription drugs, OTC-drugs and provision of diagnostic services at the drugstores (р<0,05, c-test) were established. The highest PC quality (51% - high, medium and low, 49% - unsatisfactory) was estimated for dispense of OTC-drugs. The PC quality of prescription drugs assistance and diagnostic services were unsatisfactory. The PC quality during dispense of OTC-drugs was significantly correlated with undergraduate study on OTC-drugs PC (r_OTC1 = 0.76) and professional development on the issues of PC during the postgraduate training of pharmacists (r_OTC2 = 0.65).

CONCLUSIONS

: Overall PC quality in Ukraine is compromised significantly by the fact that national PC system is focused mostly on OTC-drugs whereas appropriate assistance during dispense of prescription drugs and the provision of diagnostic services is lacking. The opportunity to address this issue in pharmacy educational programs as well as regulatory guidelines should be carefully considered.