A Survey on Evaluation of Personnel, Premises and Dispensing Standards of Model Pharmacy in Bangladesh

Abstract

Model Pharmacy (MP) implies developing, implementing, and conforming uniform standards for all pharmacies to improve public health. It is a new dimension in the health care system in Bangladesh. The present study evaluated the standards for personnel, premise, dispensing, storage of medicines, hygiene, offenses and penalties, records keeping and documentation, allowable products, pricing, expired medicine, and reference materials of MP. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data from 300 model pharmacies in six districts of Bangladesh by applying a stratified random sampling method through a designed questionnaire. The results outline the Average Positive Response Rate (APRR) for various standards in model pharmacies, highlighting both areas of strong compliance and those requiring improvement. The APRR for personnel, premise A was 54.7%, 82.65%, and 87.62%, respectively. High adherence is noted in aspects such as temperature control (96.83%), refrigerator maintenance (98.5%), and good dispensing practices (99.52%). However, there are notable gaps in other areas, such as the participation of technical personnel (31.33%) and dispensing tools (63.33%). These findings suggest that while key standards are mainly met, improvements are necessary in staffing, primarily recruiting A-grade pharmacists to ensure full compliance with MP standards.