Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37915978›Full record

ArticleJournal of multidisciplinary healthcare2023

A Qualitative Approach to Exploring Workflow and Cost Factors of Dispensing Services in Community Pharmacies in Taiwan.

Yen-Ming Huang, Yao-Hsing Wang, Hsun-Yu Chan, Yunn-Fang Ho

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 34% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Sexual distress in patients after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer: a qualitative study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Yen-Ming HuangGraduate Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 100025, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0001-8673-2269
Yao-Hsing WangGraduate Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 100025, Taiwan.ORCID 0009-0009-3154-3490
Hsun-Yu ChanDepartment of Industrial Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, 106308, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0001-5236-1009
Yunn-Fang HoGraduate Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 100025, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0003-0579-8659
National Taiwan University · TWNational Taiwan Normal University · TW

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to thoroughly document the process and cost factors involved in dispensing services within a community pharmacy. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, this study incorporated a pragmatic and descriptive qualitative approach to outline pharmacists' viewpoints on providing dispensing services in community settings. A purposive sampling was employed to recruit pharmacists from geographically different community pharmacies, spanning from March to July 2022. Semi-structured interviews with direct content analysis were conducted through face-to-face interactions to gather firsthand insights into pharmacists' professional dispensing services. The data underwent analysis through descriptive and in vivo coding techniques to categorize, define, and label themes, thereby identifying key steps and cost components in the prescription dispensing process. The qualitative data management software, MAXQDA 2020, was utilized for data management and maintenance. Results: Ten community pharmacists participated in the study, cooperatively completing the interview process. Of these, 7 were male and 3 were female, with age ranging from 29 to 62 years. The average length of pharmacy practice experience was 11.4 years. The study revealed six integral steps in the dispensing process: (1) receiving and clarifying legality and completeness of prescriptions, (2) profiling and verifying patient prescriptions, (3) preparing prescription labels and containers, (4) dispensing right medications with right quantity, (5) inspecting dispensing accuracy, (6) handing over medications and providing counseling. Along with these processes, pharmacists emphasized that pharmacy manpower, representing a substantial portion of the associated costs, determines the success and quality of the dispensing service. Additionally, rental, utilities, consumables, and physical equipment were identified as other important cost factors associated with carrying out pharmacy dispensing services. Conclusion: The study offers a comprehensive understanding of the dispensing service workflow within community pharmacies. The findings may inform key stakeholders and policymakers about required resources for enhancing and sustaining quality dispensing services for the public in Taiwan.

Indexed as

community pharmacydispensing servicepharmacistprescriptionrefill

Identifiers

PMID37915978
PMCPMC10617403
OpenAlexW4387977579

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.