[Noncompliance with the medical prescription in primary care in a rural setting]

To assess the level of initial non-compliance with treatment.

An observational study with interviews of patients, which compared prescriptions filled at the Siruela Health Centre (Badajoz) with those dispensed at the town's only pharmacy.

Primary Care; rural ambit.

8,100 prescriptions were filled for an attending population of 3,100 people. 218 (2.7%) were not collected at the pharmacy. Non-compliance was considerably greater among active workers (4%) than pensioners (2%) (Z = 5.3; p < 0.001). Non-compliance was also greater when prescriptions were written by locums at weekends or on bank holidays (8.6%) than when they were written by the normal doctor (2.2%) (Z = 9.8, p < 0.001). 50.9% of prescriptions not collected were for pensioners on Social Security and 49.1% for the active population. Causes of non-compliance indicated by the patients were: medicine had little effect (33%), high price (28.4%) and not financed by the National Health System (26.6%). 32.6% of the cases of non-compliance were followed up; 64.8% of them returned to the consultation.

Better information to patients on their pathologies and treatments would avoid many cases of non-compliance.