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Compliance with prescription filling in the pediatric emergency department

D Matsui1, G I Joubert, S Dykxhoorn

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Western Ontario, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. dmatsui@julian.uwo.ca

Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
|February 9, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Most pediatric emergency department prescriptions are filled, with 92.7% compliance. Key reasons for non-adherence include perceived medication necessity and financial constraints, highlighting areas for improved patient communication.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Health Services Research
  • Pharmacoeconomics

Background:

  • Prescription non-adherence is a significant challenge in pediatric healthcare.
  • Understanding reasons for non-adherence is crucial for optimizing treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the rate of prescription filling compliance in a pediatric emergency department.
  • To identify parental reasons for not filling prescribed medications.

Main Methods:

  • A standardized telephone questionnaire was used for follow-up.
  • Compliance was defined as filling prescriptions on the same or next day.
  • The study included pediatric patients discharged from a tertiary care hospital's emergency department.

Main Results:

  • Follow-up was completed for 1014 children (83% of 1222).
  • Prescription filling compliance was high at 92.7%.
  • Primary reasons for non-filling included perceived medication necessity (27%), financial issues (6.8%), and time constraints (6.8%).

Conclusions:

  • The rate of prescription non-filling in pediatric emergency departments is at least 7%.
  • Dissatisfaction with medical explanations and treatment instructions was linked to non-compliance.
  • Findings suggest opportunities to improve patient education and communication to enhance adherence.
Abstract

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