Evaluation of the Factors Associated with Prescribed and Non-Prescribed Medicine: A Population-Based Study

Mehrnoosh Eskandari, Amir Hossein Alizadeh Bahmani, Mehdi Hoorang, Marziyeh Zare, Saba Afifi, Iman Karimzadeh, Soha Azadi, Ali Mohammad Sabzghabaee, Kamran B Lankarani, Fariba Ahmadizar, Payam Peymani*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Several factors influence medication patterns. The purpose of this study was to look into the role of social determinants in the use of prescribed and non-prescribed medications in a population-based setting of people over 18 in a southern metropolis of Iran (Shiraz) for 2 years.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective population-based cross-sectional.

METHODS: This descriptive and cross-sectional survey was done in 2018-2020. A total of 1016 participants were randomly selected based on their postal codes and recruited to the study. The demographic characteristics (age, sex, and education), social profiles (insurance, supplementary insurance, health status, and daily exercise plan), and outpatient visits (family/general physician or specialist/ subspecialist) were recorded by gathering sheets. Descriptive analyses and multinomial logistic analyses were carried out using SPSS software.

RESULTS: The medication use pattern was classified into three categories: non-prescribed type I, non-prescribed type II, and prescribed. The mean age of participants was 45.54 ± 15.82 years. The results indicated that most of them took their medication without a prescription (non-prescribed type II). However, people who had insurance and referred to a family physician commonly used the prescribed medications. This study also found that patients who visited a family doctor or a general practitioner used fewer prescribed drugs than those who visited a specialist.

CONCLUSION: This study describes social determinants as additional effective factors in health services that influence the use of prescribed and non-prescribed medications in Shiraz. These evidence- based findings can help policymakers to plan the best programs.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)528-533
Number of pages6
JournalCurrent Drug Safety
Volume18
Issue number4
Early online date3 Nov 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by grants from the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Vice-chancellor of the Research and Health Policy Research Center (Grant Number: 95-01-62-11926), Iran.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Bentham Science Publishers.

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