Comparative analysis of quality indicators in two ISO 9001:2015-certified community pharmacies (2020-2025).
- 1Community pharmacist. Barris Pharmacy, Coín (Málaga), Spain. Spain.
- 2Community pharmacist. Zarzuelo Pharmacy, Benalmádena (Málaga), Spain. Spain.
Abstract
Objective
To comparatively analyse the results of selected quality indicators from the quality management system certified in accordance with ISO 9001:2015 in two community pharmacies during the period 2020-2025.Methods
A retrospective comparative study was conducted in two community pharmacies certified according to ISO 9001:2015. The following indicators were analysed: dispensing errors, complaints, recorded pharmaceutical interventions, follow-up of new medical prescriptions, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reported to the Andalusian Pharmacovigilance Centre, negative outcomes associated with medication (NOMs) detected, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), and documented referrals to physicians. Dispensing errors and complaints were assessed quarterly and compared using paired-sample tests. The remaining indicators were analysed annually using count regression models adjusted for year and number of operations.Results
Statistically significant differences were observed in five of the eight indicators analysed. Pharmacy B showed higher values for complaints and reported ADRs, whereas Pharmacy A showed higher values for detected NOMs, ABPM, and recorded pharmaceutical interventions. No significant differences were observed between the two pharmacies in dispensing errors, documented referrals to physicians, or follow-up of new medical prescriptions.Conclusions
Quality indicators made it possible to identify variability between two ISO 9001:2015-certified community pharmacies and proved useful in supporting continuous improvement processes. The interpretation of the observed differences should take into account the contextual, organisational and healthcare-related characteristics of each pharmacy. Comparison between pharmacies remains limited by the absence of a common framework of validated indicators and reference standards in community pharmacy.
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BibTeX
@article{barrisblundell2026comparative,
title = {{Comparative analysis of quality indicators in two ISO 9001:2015-certified community pharmacies (2020-2025).}},
author = {Damià Barris-Blundell and Gema Benítez-Pacheco and Miguel Ángel Mercado-Cano and María José Hidalgo-Hidalgo and Afrah Ismaiel-Bani Almarjeh},
journal = {Farmaceuticos comunitarios},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.33620/fc.2173-9218.2026.34},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908528},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Comparative analysis of quality indicators in two ISO 9001:2015-certified community pharmacies (2020-2025).
AU - Damià Barris-Blundell
AU - Gema Benítez-Pacheco
AU - Miguel Ángel Mercado-Cano
AU - María José Hidalgo-Hidalgo
AU - Afrah Ismaiel-Bani Almarjeh
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/04
JO - Farmaceuticos comunitarios
DO - 10.33620/fc.2173-9218.2026.34
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908528
AB - Objective To comparatively analyse the results of selected quality indicators from the quality management system certified in accordance with ISO 9001:2015 in two community pharmacies during the period 2020-2025.Methods A retrospective comparative study was conducted in two community pharmacies certified according to ISO 9001:2015. The following indicators were analysed: dispensing errors, complaints, recorded pharmaceutical interventions, follow-up of new medical prescriptions, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reported to the Andalusian Pharmacovigilance Centre, negative outcomes associated with medication (NOMs) detected, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), and documented referrals to physicians. Dispensing errors and complaints were assessed quarterly and compared using paired-sample tests. The remaining indicators were analysed annually using count regression models adjusted for year and number of operations.Results Statistically significant differences were observed in five of the eight indicators analysed. Pharmacy B showed higher values for complaints and reported ADRs, whereas Pharmacy A showed higher values for detected NOMs, ABPM, and recorded pharmaceutical interventions. No significant differences were observed between the two pharmacies in dispensing errors, documented referrals to physicians, or follow-up of new medical prescriptions.Conclusions Quality indicators made it possible to identify variability between two ISO 9001:2015-certified community pharmacies and proved useful in supporting continuous improvement processes. The interpretation of the observed differences should take into account the contextual, organisational and healthcare-related characteristics of each pharmacy. Comparison between pharmacies remains limited by the absence of a common framework of validated indicators and reference standards in community pharmacy.
SN - 2173-9218
SN - 1885-8619
ER -