A pilot study to assess the need for new hospital pharmaceutical services in Algerian patients and physicians’ perspective

The objective of this study was to assess the needs for pharmaceutical services from the perspectives of physicians and patients in the hospital setting and to contribute to the implementation of new hospital pharmacy activities. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among the doctors and patients encountered in hospital departments in Sidi Bel Abbès (Algeria); each service was evaluated using a Likert scale. Associated characteristics with an important need were evaluated by univariate analysis and binary logistic regression. All pharmaceutical services were important to the patients, particularly providing treatment advice and therapeutic education. Women presented an important need for insurance of the availability of pharmaceutical products (P = 0.02) and lifestyle and dietetic information (P = 0.05). High frequency of taking medication was associated with an important need for information about drug interactions (P = 0.005). Patient-oriented pharmaceutical services were not important to the physicians who considered drug information and therapeutic education to be the most important need. To implement patient-centred services, it is important to improve the contact between pharmacists and physicians and to provide information about pharmaceutical services that can benefit patients. Implementation of new practices in university hospital is more feasible than in public health facilities.