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Patient demand for prescriptions: a view from the other side
1Department of General Practice, United Medical School, Guy's Hospital, London, UK.
Family Practice
|March 1, 1994
Summary
Patients have varied views on doctor prescribing habits, with some desiring more prescriptions and others acknowledging physician workload. Not all patients expect or collect prescriptions, suggesting direct inquiry may be beneficial.
Area of Science:
- General Practice
- Patient Behavior
- Healthcare Communication
Background:
- Understanding patient perspectives on prescription practices is crucial for effective healthcare.
- Previous research has explored patient expectations but less on their direct views of prescribing habits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore adult patients' perceptions of general practitioners' (GPs) prescribing habits.
- To investigate patient expectations regarding prescriptions during consultations.
- To understand patients' self-reported behaviors concerning prescription collection.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study utilizing semistructured interviews.
- 30 adult patients from two general practices participated.
- Interviews focused on views of prescribing, prescription expectations, and collection behaviors.
Main Results:
- Patient views on prescribing varied, with some feeling GPs underprescribe and others believing they overprescribe due to workload pressures.
- The desire for a prescription was linked to illness stage; not all patients wanted or collected prescriptions.
- Patient expectations and behaviors regarding prescriptions are not uniform.
Conclusions:
- GPs' prescribing habits are perceived differently by patients, influenced by factors like perceived need and awareness of physician workload.
- Patient expectations for prescriptions are context-dependent and not universal.
- In suitable situations, GPs could directly inquire about patient expectations for prescriptions to improve communication and potentially optimize prescribing.