Access to medicines by ambulatory health service users in Mexico: an analysis of the national health surveys 1994 to 2006 / Acceso a medicamentos para los usuarios del primer nivel de los servicios de salud: análisis de las encuestas nacionales de salud 1994, 2000 y 2006

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the medicines prescription, prescription filling, payment expenditure for medicines by ambulatory health service users (HSU) in 2006, and to evaluate its evolution in the last 12 years. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Using data from the National Health Surveys in 2006 three binary logistic regression models were constructed to identify the variables associated with the prescription rate, prescription filling and payment for medicines in 2006. The results of access to medicines were compared to the ones from previous National Health Services from 1994 and 2000. RESULTS: The type of health service provider was found to be the most important predictors of access to medicines. Although the proportion of HSU obtaining a prescription and paying for drugs has broadly stayed the same as in 1994, the percentage of HSU paying for their prescribed medicines decreased from 70 percent in 1994 to 42 percent at Ministry of Health institutions in 2006. CONCLUSION: The progress in prescription and population access to medicines has been uneven across health service providers.

OBJETIVO: Analizar la prescripción médica, surtimiento de recetas y gasto en medicamentos que tienen los usuarios del primer nivel de los servicios de salud (UPNS) en 2006 y evaluar su evolución en los últimos 12 años. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Utilizando los datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud de 2006 se construyeron tres modelos de regresión logística para identificar los factores asociados con la prescripción, el surtimiento de medicamentos y el pago por medicamentos recetados. Se compararon los resultados del acceso a medicamentos con los de encuestas anteriores de 1994 y 2000. RESULTADOS: La variable más relevante para el acceso a medicamentos fue el tipo de institución donde se prestó atención. Aunque al nivel global la proporción de los UPNS que obtuvieron una prescripción y que pagaron por los medicamentos más o menos se mantuvo estable, el porcentaje de los UPNS que pagaron por los medicamentos en las instituciones de la Secretaría de Salud disminuyó de 70 a 42 por ciento entre 1994 y 2006. CONCLUSIÓN: El mejoramiento del acceso a medicamentos para usuarios de los servicios de salud ha sido desigual a través de las instituciones.

Caracterización de los servicios farmacéuticos de atención primaria del Sistema Único de Salud en Londrina, Paraná, Brasil / Description of the pharmaceutical services offered by the universal health care system at the primary care level in Londrina, Paraná, Brazil

OBJETIVOS: Caracterizar a los servicios farmacéuticos de atención primaria del Sistema Único de Salud (SUS) de Brasil. MÉTODOS: El estudio se llevó a cabo en Londrina, Paraná, Brasil, de enero a marzo de 2003. Se utilizaron los indicadores de uso de los medicamentos propuestos por la Organización Mundial de la Salud. Se incluyeron 13 unidades de atención primaria de salud, donde se entrevistaron 390 pacientes. RESULTADOS: Ninguna de las unidades contaba con un farmacéutico. El promedio de duración de la consulta médica fue de 8,6 minutos; el de medicamentos por prescripción, 2,2; y el de uso de inyectables, 10,9 por ciento. La denominación genérica se utilizó en 66,5 por ciento de las prescripciones y 73,3 por ciento de los medicamentos constaban en la Lista Municipal de Medicamentos Esenciales (Remume). Solamente 46,6 por ciento de los pacientes entrevistados refirieron tener la información mínima para usar correctamente los medicamentos prescritos. CONCLUSIÓN: Estos resultados pueden contribuir para la reorganización de los servicios farmacéuticos en el municipio, ya que señalan la necesidad del fortalecimiento y del uso racional de medicamentos como recursos terapéuticos necesarios para apoyar a las acciones de salud.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the pharmaceutical services offered at the primary care level by Brazil's Sistema Único de Salud (Universal Health Care System). METHODS: The study took place in Londrina, Paraná, in January-March 2003. The World Health Organization's recommended drug use indicators were employed. Included in the study were 13 primary health care facilities in which 390 patients were interviewed. RESULTS: None of the facilities had a pharmacist. The average office visit lasted 8.6 minutes; the mean number of drugs prescribed was 2.2; and injections were given in 10.9 percent. Generic drugs were prescribed 66.5 percent of the time and 73 percent of the prescribed drugs were included in the Lista Municipal de Medicamentos Esenciales (Municipal List of Essential Drugs). Only 46.6 percent of the patients interviewed reported having the basic instructions required for appropriate use of the drug prescribed. CONCLUSIONS: These results can aid in restructuring the municipality's pharmaceutical services because they underscore the need to improve and to increase rational drug use as a therapeutic resource imperative to supporting health efforts.

The Contributing Factors to Surplus Medicine by Long-Term Users of Medical Aid in Korea / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: The amount of medical utilization by Medical Aid recipients was 3.7 times that of patients with Korean Medical Insurance. This study aims to describe the surplus medicine and the medication-related utilization, and to determine factors contributing to surplus medicine. METHODS: Among those who used copayment-free Class I Medical Aid in 2005, 146,880 subjects who were > or =19 year-old and received >365 days medical treatment per year were studied with their case managers by conducting face-to-face interviews. The analytic methods were description, chi-square, t-tests, ANCOVA and multiple logistic regressions. RESULTS: Most subjects were female (68.6%), the elderly (62.5%), and the separated (61.6%), had an elementary graduation or less (74.8%), and had disabilities (33.2%). The percentage of subjects with surplus medicine was 18.5%. However, the percentage of females, the elderly, those with non-disabilities, the separated, the uneducated, those with a very poor perceived health status and those with an economical burden for medical treatment was 19.3%, 18.9%, 19.0%, 19.3%, 19.0%, 20.2% and 24.3%, respectively. For subjects with surplus medicine, averages for the number of used pharmacies, the pharmacy-visit days and the medication costs were 4.6 drugstores, 34.9 days and approximately 1,124 thousand Won. These values were higher than those without surplus medicine (4.4 drugstores , 33.8 days, and 1,110 thousand won, respectively). The odds ratios of the contributing factors to surplus medicine were female 1.11 (95% CI=1.07-1.14), the elderly 1.06 (95% CI=1.02-1.10), those with non-disabilities 1.08 (95% CI=1.05-1.12), the separated 1.14 (95% CI=1.10-1.18), the unmarried 1.12 (95% CI=1.07-1.18), the uneducated 1.03 (95% CI=1.01-1.08), those with a very poor perceived health status 1.04 (95% CI=1.01-1.08) and experiencing an economical burden for medical treatment 2.33 (95% CI=2.26-2.40). CONCLUSIONS: 18.5% of subjects had surplus medicine with a higher mean of medication cost. Therefore, health education and health promotion programs to prevent surplus medicine and to improve the appropriate usage of medication are necessary.

Surtimiento de recetas a los afiliados al Seguro Popular de Salud de México / Dispensing prescriptions to persons affiliated with Popular Health Insurance in Mexico

OBJETIVO: Medir y comparar el porcentaje de recetas surtidas completamente a los usuarios de servicios ambulatorios y de los hospitales generales de los Servicios Estatales de Salud de México (SESA) afiliados y no afiliados al Seguro Popular de Salud (SPS) según condición de aseguramiento, además de medir la satisfacción de los usuarios de los SESA con el acceso a los medicamentos. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: La información del estudio procede de cuatro encuestas de unidades ambulatorias y hospitalarias de los SESA que contaron con muestras probabilísticas de representatividad estatal. Las muestras de las unidades ambulatorias se seleccionaron mediante estratificación por nivel de atención y por condición de pertenencia a la red de servicios del SPS. RESULTADOS: Los hallazgos indican que el porcentaje de recetas completamente surtidas ha mejorado en las unidades ambulatorias de los SESA, sobre todo en aquellas que ofrecen servicios a los afiliados al SPS y que alcanzan porcentajes de casi 90 por ciento. Estos porcentajes, sin embargo, siguen siendo inferiores a los de las unidades ambulatorias de las instituciones de seguridad social. Los porcentajes de recetas surtidas en las unidades hospitalarias de los SESA también han mejorado, pero siguen siendo relativamente bajos. En casi todas las entidades federativas, conforme se ha incrementado el porcentaje de surtimiento completo de recetas, ha aumentado la satisfacción de los usuarios con el acceso a los medicamentos. CONCLUSIONES: En 2006, más de 50 por ciento de las entidades federativas presentaron altos niveles de surtimiento completo de recetas entre los afiliados al SPS (>90 por ciento). El mayor problema en este sentido se encuentra en los hospitales, ya que sólo 44 por ciento de los usuarios que recibieron una prescripción en los hospitales de los SESA en 2006 obtuvieron el surtimiento completo de sus recetas. Este hallazgo obliga a revisar la política de medicamentos del SPS, que ha privilegiado...

OBJECTIVE: Measure and compare the percentage of prescriptions fully dispensed to persons with and without Popular Health Insurance (SPS in Spanish) who use ambulatory and general hospital services associated with the Mexico State Health Services (SESA in Spanish), and taking into account insurance status. SESA user satisfaction was also measured with respect to access to medication. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Information for the study was taken from four surveys of SESA ambulatory and hospital units that included probabilistic samples with state representativity. Samples of ambulatory units were selected by stratification according to level of care and association to the SPS service network. RESULTS: The findings indicate that the percentage of prescriptions fully dispensed in SESA ambulatory units has improved, reaching approximately 90 percent, especially among those units offering services to persons affiliated with SPS. Nevertheless, these percentages continue to be lower than those of ambulatory units associated with social security institutions. Percentages of prescriptions fully dispensed have also improved in SESA hospital units, but continue to be relatively low. In nearly all states, as the percentage of prescriptions fully dispensed has increased, user satisfaction with access to medication has also improved. CONCLUSIONS: In 2006 more than 50 percent of the states had high levels of fully dispensed prescriptions among persons with SPS (>90 percent). The more significant problem exists among hospitals, since only 44 percent of users who received a prescription in SESA hospitals in 2006 had their prescriptions fully dispensed. This finding requires a review of SPS medication policies, which have favored highly prescribed low-cost medications at ambulatory services at the expense of higher cost and more therapeutically effective medications for hospital care, the latter having a greater impact on household budgets.