ABSTRACT
Unclaimed prescriptions are an overlooked component of medication noncompliance. Of 21 pharmacies surveyed for prescriptions unclaimed for 30 days or more, pharmacies averaged 21.4 prescriptions each (450 total), with the mean age of 45.6 days. More than 50% of unclaimed prescriptions were new phoned-in prescriptions. Anti-infective agents were the largest class of unclaimed medications, followed by analgesics and respiratory agents. Pharmacists can use unclaimed prescriptions as a basis for increasing their patient-oriented services.
Subject(s)
Pharmaceutical Preparations , Pharmaceutical Services , Treatment Refusal , HumansABSTRACT
The revised Multiple Affect Adjective Check List (MAACL-R) was given to a national probability sample that consisted of 1,543 adults who also were interviewed, which provided demographic data and self-ratings of health, medication use, and social activities. Standardization procedures have reduced markedly the acquiescence factor and the correlations among the dysphoric affect scales in the MAACL-R. The demographic variables of sex, race, age, education, occupation, income, marital status, religion, geographical area of residence, and size of town or city were related to some of the scales. Positive affect was related directly to self-ratings of health; dysphoric affect was related negatively to these ratings. Frequencies of volunteer activities and social activities in general correlated negatively with depression and positively with positive affect scales.
Subject(s)
Anxiety Disorders/psychology , Attitude to Health , Depressive Disorder/psychology , Psychophysiologic Disorders/psychology , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Arousal , Educational Status , Female , Hostility , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Psychological Tests , Risk Factors , Sex Factors , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
The concern over rising health care costs has created an environment that is favorable for the development of efficient health care programs. Pharmacists have been instrumental in developing and implementing programs to reduce drug costs, but many of these lack adequate documentation in the literature. One such area is the impact of disseminating drug bulletins to prescribers. This study was undertaken to assess quantitatively the impact of drug bulletins on physician prescribing habits and to measure the resultant changes in drug cost. This was a retrospective examination of Prime Health's acquisition of certain drugs described in five separate drug bulletins before and after issuance of the bulletins. We were able to demonstrate statistically significant changes in the proportions of drugs acquired after dissemination of each bulletin. In some cases, these changes persisted for the duration of the study (one year after issuance of the bulletin); in other cases, they reverted to pre-bulletin proportions. These changes resulted in mean drug cost reductions of 30 percent per calendar quarter for all of the post-bulletin period. Our findings suggest that the issuance of certain types of drug bulletins to prescribers is associated with a significant change in their prescribing habits, with resultant cost savings.
