Patient co-payments and use of prescription medicines

Abstract

Objective: To investigate how prescription co-payments influence the medicine use of Australian patients. Methods: Two surveys and an in-depth interview study were conducted in the Newcastle/Hunter region of New South Wales (NSW). A community-based survey explored how often prescription cost posed a barrier to prescription use. A general practice patient survey investigated the impact of prescription cost on the timing of medical consultations and prescription collection. Quantitative data were summarised using descriptive statistics; associations between household characteristics and outcomes were explored using odds ratios and chi square analysis. In-depth interviews were conducted to expl..