Monira Alwhaibi, Mashael Alshammari, Noha Al Aloola, Nouf Aloudah, Aliyah Almomen, Tariq M Alhawassi
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Brand-to-generic medicine substitution has been a common practice worldwide as one of the strategies to reduce pharmaceutical expenditure and sustain health care systems. The perspective of patients as end-users of these medicines is one of crucial factors in enhancing generic medicines' utilization. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the consumers' knowledge, perception, and current use of generic medicines in Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study using a purposive sampling technique was conducted among adults aged 18 years and above in Saudi Arabia from December 2023 to January 2024. The study participants comprised the adult population aged 18 years and above living in Saudi Arabia. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the data, and all statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS.
Results: In total, 691 adults participated in this study. About fifty percent of the participants had used generic medications and knew what generic medications meant (41.0%). There was a relatively positive perception towards generic medication in only about one-third of the participants; they either perceive that generics relieve symptoms as brand medication, generics would provide significant savings, or the physicians should always prescribe a generic medication if it's available.
Conclusions: While there was some knowledge of generic medications' cost advantages, still significant gaps in knowledge and trust might hinder their widespread adoption. Addressing these challenges through targeted educational and policy interventions is crucial to promote the use of generic medications. By doing so, we can ensure that consumers have the information and confidence they need to make informed decisions about their medications.
期刊介绍:
Patient Preference and Adherence is an international, peer reviewed, open access journal that focuses on the growing importance of patient preference and adherence throughout the therapeutic continuum. The journal is characterized by the rapid reporting of reviews, original research, modeling and clinical studies across all therapeutic areas. Patient satisfaction, acceptability, quality of life, compliance, persistence and their role in developing new therapeutic modalities and compounds to optimize clinical outcomes for existing disease states are major areas of interest for the journal.
As of 1st April 2019, Patient Preference and Adherence will no longer consider meta-analyses for publication.