[Demand for dispensing of medicines without medical prescription].
OBJECTIVE
To study the request for drugs and their dispensing without the necessary prescription form.


METHODS
Cross-sectional, observational study.


METHODS
Volunteer community pharmacies in Spain.


METHODS
Percentages of request and dispensation of drugs without prescription. Reasons given by people requesting the medicines and pharmacists' reasons for dispensing them.


RESULTS
11.1% of prescription drugs were requested without a prescription form: 69.7% of these requests were for chronic medication or acute treatment and 20% were for self-medication. The drugs without prescription form were dispensed in 10.8% and refused in 0.3% of cases. The reasons given by pharmacists for dispensing without the compulsory prescription form were: "drugs recommended by a doctor" (33.3%), "advance on prescriptions" (24.1%), and "the pharmacist knew the patient's pharmaco-therapeutic record" (17.5%).


CONCLUSIONS
Dispensing drugs without the necessary prescription form is a very frequent practice (10.8%) and is not restricted to any particular drug therapy group. Doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, patients and health service management must all assume their share of responsibility if this problem is to be solved. The system of prescription and dispensing of chronic medicine (repeat prescription in long-term treatment) needs to be improved and strengthened.
Barbero-González
A
A
Red Española de Atención Primaria, Spain. a.barbero@wanadoo.es
Pastor-Sánchez
R
R
del Arco-Ortiz de Zárate
J
J
Eyaralar-Riera
T
T
Espejo-Guerrero
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012651:Self Medication; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires