Primary non-compliance in a Singapore polyclinic

To determine the rate of patients not collecting their medication despite being given a prescription (primary non-compliance) in a Singapore polyclinic; to compare the results with similar studies done abroad and to identify the characteristics of patients most likely to be non-compliant.

Out of 500 prescriptions issued consecutively by the author, those that were not presented to the pharmacy for collection of medication were identified. The case sheets of these patients were then retrieved for further analysis.

The primary non-compliance rate in this study was 4.0%. Patients who were less than 30 years old or who consulted for an acute complaint were significantly more likely to be non-compliant. While the overall non-compliance rate was similar to that of studies done in the UK, the number of non-compliant patients with chronic illnesses was markedly lower in the local population.