ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION AND CONSULTING SERVICES TO OLDER CONSUMERS

Information support in pharmacies improves the quality of pharmaceutical care, including for older consumers.
The purpose of this work was to study the features of information support for older consumers.
Material and methods. The study was conducted in pharmacies in Moscow and Tula. The study used the results of 424 questionnaires of older consumers (210 were interviewed in Moscow pharmacies and 214 in Tula pharmacies). Methods: content analysis, comparison method, graphic, statistical, sociological.
Results. The study examined the main reasons for choosing a pharmacy and determined the criteria for pharmaceutical consulting and information according to the degree of importance for older consumers. Most respondents choose a pharmacy because of its convenient location, but respondents in the 60-73 age groups choose those pharmacies where they received professional advice. When studying the information support of this category of consumers, the main reasons for satisfaction (selection of a more effective and cheaper drug, saving time compared to visiting a polyclinic) and dissatisfaction with this service (lack of knowledge of the assortment, incompetence, lack of trust in the information provided to the consumer) were studied. Positive and negative aspects of pharmaceutical consulting and information were also identified. Based on the results of the study, a comparative table of criteria for pharmaceutical consulting and informing of older consumers was constructed. The final result of the study was the developed consumer information leaflet for the drug «Motherwort Tincture», which was adopted for the older consumer, containing basic information on the drug, taking into account the socio-psychological characteristics of this category of consumers.
Conclusions. The obtained results of the study can be implemented in pharmacy practice and will help to improve the quality of pharmaceutical care to older consumers.

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