[Prescription medicines information: Spanish general population survey]

To assess Spanish general population opinion on prescription medicine information which they currently access or would like to. Design. Cross-sectional descriptive study through telephone interviews. Setting. Spanish general population. February-March 2003.

A total of 1069 subjects from 16 to 90 years old were interviewed. Main measures. Questionnaire developed after reviewing legislation and literature, and validated by an expert panel in medical information.

A total of 87.7% of subjects usually obtain medicines upon medical prescription. The most important prescription medicine information sources are drug information leaflet (75.9%; 95% CI, 73.3-78.5), physicians (54.9%; 95% CI, 51.8-58.0), pharmacists (17.4%; 95% CI, 15.1-19.7 and nurses (6.7%; 95% CI, 5.2-8.2). Less than 3% of subjects obtain prescription medicine information through Internet. A total of 52.9% (95% CI, 49.9-55.8) of subjects feel they are inadequately informed about prescription medicine and would like to have more access to it through sources different than health care staff. A total of 45.6% (95% CI, 42.6-48.6) of subjects would find convenient to receive information from pharmaceutical companies. This information should be qualified and supervised by health authorities. Brief written materials provided by physicians or pharmacists, would be the most appropriate way for patients to obtain prescription medicine information from pharmaceutical companies.

Spanish general population feel they have poor information on prescription medicine and would like to get access to qualified information from different sources, including the one provided by the pharmaceutical industry.