Over-the-counter medicines, economic conditions and citizens most in need in Greece: Is it a challenge for primary care research (original) (raw)
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Knowledge and attitudes of Greek Physicians towards generic prescribing after the economic crisis
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Pain and therapy, 2015
Non-prescription over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are widely used by patients to control aches, pain, and fever. One of the most frequently used OTC medications worldwide is paracetamol (acetaminophen). The aim of the present study was to fill the current knowledge gap regarding the beliefs and attitudes of people in Greece associated with the use of paracetamol during the years of financial crisis. The present study employed a sample of individuals visiting community pharmacies in the second largest city of Greece, Thessaloniki. All participants anonymously answered a questionnaire regarding their beliefs and characteristics of paracetamol consumption. Their answers were then statistically analyzed. The generic paracetamol compound was shown to be more well known than the original. A significant percentage of participants, ranging between 9.9% and 33.7%, falsely believed that certain medications [mainly non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)] contained paracetamol. Participants...
Introduction/Study objectives: Generic medicines uptake is widely acknowledged as a key pharmaceutical policy measure towards cost containment and rational resource allocation. In Greece, due to the persistently low penetration of generics in the pharmaceutical market, a series of policy measures aiming to reverse this trend were implemented during the last years. The aim of the present study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of physicians and patients towards generic medicines as well as the acceptability of the policies implemented. Methods: A qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interviews to physicians and chronically ill patients residing in the region of Attica formed the basis of the analysis. Recruitment of physicians and patients was performed using a combination of convenience and snowball sampling techniques. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and content analysed, according to international guidelines for qualitative research. Results/Discussion: Nine physicians (general internists and cardiologists), and nine patients suff ering from hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia participated in the survey. Physicians' views on generics were positive, although concerns were raised regarding the monitoring mechanisms and the reliability of companies producing generics. Patients were more hesitant to express their opinion on generics because they felt that they were not adequately informed. Prescribing is a multi-criteria decision, whereas for patients the choice of medicine is made by their physician. Cost was not an important factor for both groups. Policy measures on generics were generally acceptable in the case of physicians and there were mixed opinions in the group of patients. Both groups stressed the need for more and reliable information regarding generics. Conclusion: Patient and physician attitudes can 'make or break' even a perfectly planned healthcare policy. Taking into consideration the information available in studies such as the present one, can aid decision-makers towards the design and implementation of viable policies in the sensitive fi eld of generics uptake.
Investigating factors of self-care orientation and self-medication use in a Greek rural area
Self-care oriented people are more likely to undertake self-care activities in order to treat lay self-diagnosed symptoms and restore their own health without professional assistance. One of these activities is self-medication, which refers to the use of medications without medical consultation. The absence of permanent doctors in rural Greece encourages self-medication practices. The main objectives of this article were to detect factors that determine self-care orientation and to predict the use of prescription medications without a doctor's prescription as well as to study the impact of self-care orientation in using medical care in a Greek rural area. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed and 150 face-to-face interviews were randomly conducted during January and February 2011, by using a research instrument with 46 questions. These included information about self-rated health, existence of chronic disease, self-medication behavior, use of prescription and non-prescription drugs and sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents. Logistic regression as well as Fisher's exact test were used to analyze the results. Results: The majority of the respondents (80%) were found to be self-care oriented and 54.7% had used prescription medications without a doctor's prescription. The orientation to self-care seems to be determined by gender (p<0.05), the existence of chronic disease (p<0.05) and educational level (p<0.05). More specifically, factors found to predict self-care orientation by using a medication and consequently self-medication were female gender (odds ratio (OR): 3.44, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.37-8.66), the absence of chronic disease (OR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.098-0.92) and higher educational level (OR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.05-2.58). However, self-care orientation was not found to affect the use of medical services (p(Fisher's exact test)>0.05). The likelihood of using prescription medications without a doctor's prescription is defined by self-care orientation (p<0.001) and selfrated health status (p<0.05). So, individuals who practice self-medication with prescription drugs are self-care oriented (OR: 6.16, 95% CI: 2.38-15.89) and they probably have lower self-rated health status (OR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.42-0.99).
Greek Physicians’ Perceptions on Generic Drugs in the Era of Austerity
Scientifica, 2015
Purpose.To assess the beliefs and preferences of Greek physicians, regarding generic drugs, in the years of financial crisis.Setting.Multicentered, nationwide survey.Material and Methods.A custom questionnaire based on former similar studies was developed and administered to Greek physicians. The variable “perception on generics” was constructed after an exploratory study and the instrument was validated by conventional and Rasch analysis methods. 22 items formed 5 subscales that constructed the variable in question.Results.908 physicians successfully participated in the study (response rate: 80%). Mean total scores to the instrument were 60.63 ± 12.12 for men and significantly less (58.24 ± 11.73) for women (p= 0.04). Greek physicians were not persuaded on the potential economic gain (45.79 ± 10.53); moreover they identified that Greek authorities cannot address the increased pharmacovigilance mandates. Physicians working in Athens and those working in surgical units demonstrated s...
Self-medication with antibiotics in rural population in Greece: a cross-sectional multicenter study
BMC Family Practice, 2010
Background: Self-medication is an important driver of antimicrobial overuse as well as a worldwide problem. The aim of the present study was to estimate the use of antibiotics, without medical prescription, in a sample of rural population presenting in primary care in southern Greece. Methods: The study included data from 1,139 randomly selected adults (545 men/594 women, mean age ± SD: 56.2 ± 19.8 years), who visited the 6 rural Health Centres of southern Greece, between November 2009 and January 2010. The eligible participants were sought out on a one-to-one basis and asked to answer an anonymous questionnaire. Results: Use of antibiotics within the past 12 months was reported by 888 participants (77.9%). 508 individuals (44.6%) reported that they had received antibiotics without medical prescription at least one time. The major source of self-medication was the pharmacy without prescription (76.2%). The antibiotics most frequently used for self-medication were amoxicillin (18.3%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (15.4%), cefaclor (9.7%), cefuroxim (7.9%), cefprozil (4.7%) and ciprofloxacin (2.3%). Fever (41.2%), common cold (32.0%) and sore throat (20.6%) were the most frequent indications for the use of self-medicated antibiotics. Conclusion: In Greece, despite the open and rapid access to primary care services, it appears that a high proportion of rural adult population use antibiotics without medical prescription preferably for fever and common cold.
Acta poloniae pharmaceutica, 2012
The aims of the current survey were to evaluate factors influencing purchase of prescription and OTC medicines of pharmacy customers in Tallinn, Estonia and to identify the role of community pharmacists in counselling of prescription and OTC medicines. Structured questionnaire was used to interview pharmacy customers (n = 1820) in six community pharmacies of Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. The survey instrument consisted of 15 multiple-choice items. According to the survey results, prescription and OTC medicines were bought from community pharmacies almost equally. The most popular OTC medicines were analgesics (38%), cold and cough medicines (21%). The older survey participants and these with lower income and with elementary school education bought more prescription medicines (p < 0.01). Survey participants with higher income were purchasing more OTC medicines and food supplements (p < 0.01). Before purchase of medicines recommendations were received mainly from physici...