Obtaining accurate and sufficient information about prescribed drug therapy is a prerequisite for a patient to implement the treatment in a satisfying way. Which medicines should be used, why should they be used, how should they be used (dosage, administration) and for how long should the therapy last – all these questions should be answered with an accurate source. The information on different sources can differ and therefore contain incorrect information. This may result in medication errors, which in turn can have serious consequences for the patient’s health.
From the electronic patient record (EMR), the patient can receive a list of the doctor’s prescriptions. This list contains information about product name, dosage and indication of the medicine prescribed. In the national prescription repository (NPR), the prescriptions sent electronically (almost all of the Swedish prescriptions) are saved and can be obtained and dispensed at any pharmacy. The patient can also receive a list from the NPR, containing information about all saved prescriptions in the repository. The list contains information about product name, dosage and indication. The doctor can not make changes in this repository. To be informed of what dispenses has been executed during the last 15 months, the patient can ask for another list from the national prescription repository (NPR). This list contains information about what dispenses has been executed, independently of prescribing doctor and dispensing pharmacy. This list can for example be used to complement a patient’s medical records and to give the doctor information about what medicines the patient eventually has taken.
The aim of this study was, from a gender perspective, to examine if pharmacy custumers where aware of the different sources mentioned above and/or which sources they use to implement the medication treatment. Furthermore, it was examined how many used are presentative for their pharmacy errands. It was also examined if there were problems keeping track of the medicine prescriptions. The extent of discrepancies between the number of prescriptions and number of medicines the patient specify they used, was also examined.
The study was conducted at Apoteket Lejonet (Apoteksgruppen AB) in Kalmar by interviewing pharmacy custumers. Patients with five or more prescriptions in the NPR were asked about sources, prescriptions, potential problems and socio-economic survey.
The study showed that 223 of 699 respondents (32 %) knew of the list from the EMR, slightly more common among men then women. A third of them used it as a source to implement the medication treatment. Almost all of the respondents knew of the list from the NPR. This was also the most common source – used by almost 70 %. Nine percent used a representative for their pharmacy errands. Fifteen percent said there were problems keeping track of the medicine prescriptions. The problem most of them specified was about generic substitution.
It is important that the sources contain accurate and sufficent information about the prescriptions. In that way the patient can achieve a safe treatment with satisfying results. Both pharmacies and the health care can and should make reconciliations when changes in the treatment are done. Then, the sources can be kept updated and correct, thereby reducing the risk of medication errors, and the patients’ safety is promoted.