The consequences of patient charges for prescription drugs in Canada: a cross-sectional survey.

The consequences of patient charges for prescription drugs in Canada: a cross-sectional survey. CMAJ Open. 2018 Feb 05;6(1):E63-E70 Authors: Law MR, Cheng L, Kolhatkar A, Goldsmith LJ, Morgan SG, Holbrook AM, Dhalla IA Abstract BACKGROUND: Many Canadians face substantial out-of-pocket charges for prescription drugs. Prior work suggests that this causes some patients to not take their medications as prescribed; however, we have little understanding of whether charges for prescription medicines lead patients to forego basic needs or to use more health care services. Our study aimed to quantify the consequences of patient charges for medicines in Canada. METHODS: As part of the 2016 Canadian Community Health Survey, we designed and fielded cross-sectional questions to 28 091 Canadians regarding prescription drug affordability, consequent use of health care services and trade-offs with other expenditures. We calculated weighted population estimates and proportions, and used logistic regression to determine which patient characteristics were associated with these behaviours. RESULTS: Overall, 5.5% (95% confidence interval 5.1%-6.0%) of Canadians reported being unable to afford 1 or more drugs in the prior year, representing 8.2% of those with at least 1 prescription. Drugs for mental health conditions were the most commonly reported drug class for cost-related nonadherence. About 303 000 Canadians had additional doctor...
Source: cmaj - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: CMAJ Open Source Type: research