To study the most preferred Value Added Services (VAS) among patients and caregivers at Hospital Melaka

Background: The availableness and constant supply of medication may affect the quality of life of patients that prescribed with chronic disease treatment. Value Added Services (VAS) is a service derived from the creativity and innovation of pharmaceutical companies in order to improvise the quality of pharmaceutical services to the patients (Loh B.C., et al., 2017). The services that are being offered in VAS refers to a group of new innovative pharmacy services which includes Integrated Drug Dispensing System (IDDS), Pharmacy Drive Through (PDT), Medicine by Post !Malaysia (UMP) and Appointment Card Dispensing System (ACDS) (Hoay, Christine Tan & B.Y. Gan, Vincent., 2016, p. 335-343). Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine the most preferred VAS among the patients in outpatient department at Melaka General Hospital and to identify patients' knowledge, perspective and satisfaction of VAS.
Methods: A quantitative and cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2017 till January 2018 on 151 patients or caregivers at the outpatient pharmacy, GHM using a modified questionnaire which was validated through a pilot study which yielded a Crobanch's alpha score of 0.788. It consisted of demographic characteristic, preferences of VAS, enrolment rates of VAS, knowledge, perspective and satisfaction of VAS by patients or caregivers.
Results: SPUB was the most preferred VAS by patients or caregivers (n= l 10, 72.8%) followed by OT (n=25, 16.6%), KT (n= l2, 7.9%) and UMP (n=4, 2.6%). Most of the patients or caregivers had good knowledge and perspective about VAS and their knowledge level was associated with their preferences of VAS. In contrast, their perspective on VAS was not associated with their preferences of VAS. Enrolment rates of patients in adopting SPUB and