Advancing Patient-Centered Care in Ghana's Community Pharmacies: A Digital Health Approach.

Abstract

Community pharmacies in Ghana are essential healthcare access points but often focus only on dispensing medications, neglecting broader patient-centered care. This study identifies 21 key drivers of patient satisfaction through stakeholder engagement and proposes a three-part strategy to transform these pharmacies into healthcare hubs. The strategy integrates a digital health platform, a pharmacy performance assessment tool, and a cleaning and hygiene checklist to enhance service quality, accessibility, product availability, and patient engagement. By addressing challenges like digital literacy, infrastructure limitations, and staff training, this work provides insights for sustainable improvement and scalability in low-resource settings.