Abstract
Introduction: Traditionally, females in Saudi Arabia are usually embarrassed to discuss feminine related issues with males, who are the only pharmacy services providers at community pharmacies in the Kingdom. With a lack of data present on the assessment of this facet, the current study was performed to know about the comfort among females while approaching male community pharmacist's.
Aim: To assess the level of satisfaction of female residents in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) regarding services provided by male community pharmacists.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study using non probability convenience sampling technique was conducted from 3rd January 2016 to 31st March 2016. A total of 1200 participants were approached in the public areas of Taif City for electronic and face to face interviews using a pre-validated questionnaire. Chi-square and Fisher's-exact tests were used to analyse the data and all p-values of less than 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: A total of 290 respondents (35.3%) were completely satisfied with male community pharmacists' services; while (n=415, 50.5%) participants were only satisfied to a certain extent. About (n=512, 63%) participants were embarrassed to discuss with male pharmacist about the sensitive women requirements. About (n=501, 61%) of the participants preferred the presence of female pharmacists at community pharmacies.
Conclusion: Almost, two-thirds of the participants were satisfied at least to a certain extent from services provided by male community pharmacists. Decision makers in Saudi Arabia should consider the involvement of female pharmacy graduates in KSA to provide services at community pharmacies.