Article
Patient orientation in the supply of medication
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Authors
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Sandra Neuhaus
- Universität Bielefeld, Fakultät für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Arbeitsgruppe 6: Versorgungsforschung und Pflegewissenschaften, Bielefeld, Germany
| Published: | November 22, 2010 |
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Outline
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Introduction: Nearly all chronically ill patients, especially the elderly, need to regularly take some form of medication. Especially in the outpatient area in the framework of the statutory health services these patients are already today the most relevant user group. This user group will become more significant due to demographic and epidemiological change in the near future. Because of many health system reforms in the last 15 years the users have to supply themselves with medicaments under constantly changing circumstances. Although it is a main prerequisite in each pharmacotherapy that patients regularly supply – or have the possibility to supply – themselves with medication, this supply has not been considered in detail. It is here that this study asks the question how patients in Germany perceive the supply of medication.
Methods: In order to find answers to these question nine problem focused interviews were devised with chronically ill patients who regularly supply themselves with medicaments for longer than six years. These patients were from different areas in Lower Saxony and Eastwestphalia-Lippe, Germany.
Results: The supply of medication is a process which is complex, relying on many different factors, and most often taking place in the day-to-day lives of the patients. To what degree these factors influence the patients’ actions and their priorities depends on each patient individually. Hence, there is no alternative to user guidelines in the supply of medication. Compared with other forms of therapy the patient is expected to be very self-responsible in the use of his/her medication. Considering the development of essential lines of supply and their adaptation to changing conditions these patients are for the most part left to their own devices.
Discussion and conclusion: Although user guidelines play a recognised role in Germany in the organisation of the health system there is significant evidence in literature and in the results of this empirical study that these guidelines are not adequately implemented in the supply of medication. Therefore, it is an important future task to interlink and further develop relevant initiatives which focus on the patients (and their point of view) at all levels of the Public Health Service.
