[How do practitioners evaluate the newly introduced system of substituting prescriptions?].
OBJECTIVE
In 1997 a new prescription system was introduced in the Danish health care system. The pharmacist must now substitute a prescribed drug with a cheaper version, either generic (G-substitution) or original (O-substitution) unless the general practitioner (GP) indicates that substitution is not allowed. The purpose of this study was to obtain the GPs' views on the system and evaluate the problems related to the system.


METHODS
The study was based on questionnaires to GPs developed via qualitative interviews with the GPs and afterwards pilot tested.


RESULTS
Out of 300 GPs the response rate was 80%. The study showed that 61% of the GPs were dissatisfied with the system and thought that it should be removed. There were several reasons for this: the system was incomprehensible, the introduction and information about the system was insufficient and the extra workload was too heavy. All the GPs agreed that analogue substitution (substitution between drugs with the same effect obtained by different means) was medically unjustifiable and should not be introduced.
Rubak
S L
SL
Aarhus Universitet, Institut for Almen Medicin. sune.rubak@dadlnet.dk
Andersen
M L
ML
Mainz
J
J
Olesgaard
P
P
Lauritzen
T
T
D000328:Adult; D003718:Denmark; D016527:Drug Costs; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D016568:Drugs, Generic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013810:Therapeutic Equivalency; D016526:Workload
D016568:Drugs, Generic