Speaker
Description
The aim of study was to explore pharmacist perceptions toward implementation and impact of new health insurance plan on Iraqi health system, providers and patients.
Methods
This was a qualitative study. The study included face-to-face semi-structured interviews with experienced pharmacists working in public healthcare settings. The interview guide included open-ended questions covering the pharmacist perceptions about the impact on adopting the new health insurance plan on patients and healthcare providers at three levels: Quality of services, service cost and frequency of visits. Potential challenges were also discussed. The interviews were conducted at the public healthcare settings by one master student (pharmacist). The interviews were conducting during March through May 2022 at three provinces in southern Iraq: ThiQar, Wasit and Al-Muthana. Most interviews were audio-recorded to transcribe every word. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interviews findings and generating themes and subthemes.
Results
The study recruited 16 pharmacists till the saturation point has been reached. The following themes were emerged from the interviews. Most of the participants were aware of the new health insurance law. They all agreed that the law can enhance patient health. The participants believed that plan will bring positive financial income to healthcare providers in the private sector since the visits will be subsidized by the insurance authority. The pharmacists believed that patients will use private sector services more than the public sector because the private sector has shorter waiting time and better quality of service. They expected that health services will be improved. Adopting family doctor will enhance patient health because all the health information of each patient will be integrated at one physician.
| Intend to be published in the conference journal (IJPS)? | Yes |
|---|---|
| Has the manuscript been published? | Not published |
| Field/discipline | Clinical/Social Pharmacy |
