title: [Knowledge and information concerning generic drugs in a public outpatient population in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil].
abstract: Brazilian Federal Act 9,787/99, regulating generic medicines, includes rules for drug registration and provides for the population's access to safe, effective, high-quality, and low-cost medication. Four years after the introduction of generic drugs on the Brazilian market, we proposed to measure knowledge and information on generic drugs among the clientele at a public outpatient clinic in Recife, Pernambuco State, applying a questionnaire in 2000. 76.1% of the interviewees were women, 95.7% had heard of generic drugs, and 68.1% could define generic medication. Government action to publicize the properties of such medicines and their advantages for consumers has thus reached the vast majority of the population.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Tiradentes, Aracaju, Brasil. chiaraerocha@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Chiara Erminia
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: da Rocha
authors.forename: José Augusto Cabral
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: de Barros
authors.forename: Maria Dolores Paes
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D016568:Drugs, Generic; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D017150:Public Sector; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D016568:Drugs, Generic