Management Accounting in Pharmacy Operations: Evaluating Costs, Efficiency, And Healthcare Outcomes

Abstract

The study evaluated the associations among management-accounting practices, cost-management practices, operational efficiency, and perceived healthcare-related pharmacy performance in selected healthcare institutions in Delhi-NCR, India. A quantitative, analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from April to September 2026 among 384 pharmacy and healthcare professionals. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire comprising five-point Likert-scale items. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 29.0. Operational efficiency had the highest mean score (3.62 ± 0.65), followed by perceived healthcare-related pharmacy performance (3.58 ± 0.69), management-accounting practices (3.53 ± 0.68), and cost-management practices (3.48 ± 0.72). Management-accounting practices were positively correlated with operational efficiency (r = .390) and perceived healthcare-related pharmacy performance (r = .295). In the regression model for operational efficiency, both management-accounting practices (B = 0.267, p < .001) and cost-management practices (B = 0.272, p < .001) were significantly associated with operational efficiency (R² = .232). In the model for perceived healthcare-related pharmacy performance, management-accounting practices (β = .188, p < .001) and operational efficiency (β = .240, p < .001) were significant predictors, whereas cost-management practices were not independently associated with the outcome (β = .042, p = .404; R² = .142). Overall, management-accounting and cost-management practices were positively associated with operational efficiency, while management-accounting practices and operational efficiency were independently associated with perceived healthcare-related pharmacy performance. Given the cross-sectional design and perception-based outcome measure, these findings indicate statistical associations and should not be interpreted as evidence of causal effects or objectively measured improvements in patient health outcomes.