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Primary non-compliance with prescribed medication in primary care
P H Beardon1, M M McGilchrist, A D McKendrick
1Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee.
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.)
|October 2, 1993
Summary
Approximately 14.5% of patients did not redeem their prescriptions, with higher non-redemption rates observed in women and younger age groups. Factors influencing prescription noncompliance include patient demographics and prescribing practices.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacoeconomics
- Public Health
- General Practice
Background:
- Prescription noncompliance is a significant issue in healthcare.
- Understanding factors influencing prescription redemption is crucial for effective medication management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the rate of primary noncompliance (patients not redeeming prescriptions).
- To identify factors associated with prescription non-redemption.
Main Methods:
- An observational study was conducted comparing written prescriptions with dispensed ones.
- Data were collected from a large rural general practice, including 4854 patients and 20,921 prescriptions.
- Case record review was used to assess non-redemption rates.
Main Results:
- 14.5% of patients (702/4854) did not redeem 5.2% of prescriptions (1072/20921).
- Non-redemption was higher in women (16.3%) than men (11.5%), particularly in younger women (16-29 years) and middle-aged men (40-49 years).
- Higher non-redemption rates were observed for oral contraceptives, prescriptions issued on weekends, and those from trainee general practitioners. Patients not exempt from charges were more likely to redeem prescriptions.
Conclusions:
- Prescription non-redemption is influenced by patient age, sex, exemption status, and the prescribing general practitioner.
- The day of the week a prescription is written also impacts redemption rates.
- Dispensing data offers a more accurate measure of drug exposure in observational studies than prescribing data.