title: Expectations of saudi patients for medications following consultations in primary health care in riyadh.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Knowing patients' expectation for medication after each consultation is of the utmost importance in designing public education programs on the rational use of drugs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether patients in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, expect drugs after each primary care consultation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 985 Saudi patients aged 15 and above was randomly selected. A cross-sectional survey was carried out at five randomly selected primary care centers, using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to patients before being seen by primary care doctors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most patients (87.8%) always expect drug prescriptions. Eighty nine percent (88.9%) had been prescribed drugs in the previous consultation. Sixty six percent (66%) had received 2-3 drugs during their previous consultation. The majority thought it was too much. Seventy percent (70%) took all their prescribed drugs. Patients with intermediate and high school education had the highest compliance rate (32%). Twenty two percent (22%) thought it was always necessary to use a drug for an illness. The level of education of the majority of patients ranged from illiterate to various levels of pre-university education.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most Saudi patients expect drugs. General and specific health education should be given to both patients and doctors.
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Khalid A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kalantan