[Does self involvement promote self medication? A comparative study of 6 countries of the European community].
Discussing cost-sharing in health care as a means to arrive at certain cost retrenchments is nowadays a popular topic in Switzerland. This also holds true for patient part-payment of medicines, through which the level of reimbursement of prescription medicines by sick-funds may be decreased. This paper reviews recent changes in the patient part-payment system for drugs in 6 countries of the European Community. It is investigated whether the rate of self-medication increases, when patient part-payment systems for drugs are intensified. Especially the English situation seems to prove the validity of this correlation. However, one should be cautious, because many other factors--such as whether a medicine has a prescription-only status or not--may also play a prominent role.
D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005062:European Union; D006801:Humans; D007356:Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services / Q000191:economics*; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012651:Self Medication / Q000191:economics*
D004366:Nonprescription Drugs
Fördert die Selbstbeteiligung die Selbstmedikation? Eine Vergleichsstudie in sechs Ländern der Europäischen Gemeinschaft.