Drug compliance--a study of patient behavior based on medical records

Studies concerned with medication compliance after initial prescription dispensing have been frequently cited in the literature; however, little research has been done on the initial filling of the prescription order. In order to ascertain the degree of compliance at the initial filling level, a study was carried out on a population associated with a neighborhood health center. Overall, the study indicated an initial filling compliance of 94 percent, which was affected by the site of patient encounter, the chronicity of the disease, and the specificity of the medication in relationship to the disease state. It was concluded that: prescriptions for chronic medications are filled at a higher rate than those for acute illnesses; specific medication for a specific illness has a much higher compliance rate than nondisease specific medications; ease of access to a pharmacy is related to a higher compliance level; and frequent patient contact for a specific disease tends to increase compliance.