Impact of pharmacists' directive guidance behaviors on patient satisfaction

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of directive guidance (DG) behaviors by pharmacists on patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care services. DG behaviors are social support behaviors and include such activities as supplying information about medications and providing encouragement and feedback regarding drug therapy. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study using a self-administered survey. SETTING: Two university-affiliated ambulatory care clinics, two chain pharmacies, and one independent pharmacy. PATIENTS: One hundred sixty patients with a chronic disease (e.g., asthma, hypertension, diabetes). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care services. RESULTS: A total of 160 completed questionnaires were collected from patients at 5 sites. Overall, patients patronizing ambulatory care clinics perceived higher rates of DG behaviors and were more satisfied with pharmaceutical care services, compared with patients in community pharmacies (P < .05). The hierarchical regression model was significant (F(13,112) = 4.9091, P < .001). DG behaviors explained 32.4% (P < .001) of the variance in patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care services. CONCLUSION: Higher rates of DG behaviors by pharmacists are associated with greater patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care services.