title: Recognition of pharmaceutical prescriptions across the European Union: a comparison of five Member States' policies and practices.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 2011, the EU Directive on Patients' Rights in Cross Border Healthcare was approved, including a regulation on mutual recognition of prescriptions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare current national policies and practices on prescribing and dispensing, prescription-only medicines (POMs) in European countries in order to identify differences which could, challenge acceptance across borders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semi-structured interviews with 37 national stakeholders were carried out. Furthermore, data on policies for prescribing and dispensing POMs were gathered based on desk research, and, contacts with relevant authorities via a purposely designed questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Important differences exist regarding: (1) information requirements for prescriptions to be, legally valid, (2) generic and international non-proprietary name (INN) policies and (3) professionals, legally allowed to prescribe POMs. Moreover, there is a lack of EU-wide access to key information for, validating prescriptions, recognizing the equivalence of products or identifying authorised prescribers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Differences in legislation and its application across Europe pose important challenges to be, addressed by policy makers with appropriate actions: (1) a prescribed product may not be dispensed, to a patient who needs it, (2) an inappropriate product (or inappropriate instructions) could be, provided and (3) POMs could be dispensed and consumed or sold, based on false prescriptions.
authors.affiliation: European Social Observatory (OSE), Rue Paul Emile Janson 13, Brussels 1050, Belgium. Electronic address: Lorena.SanMiguel@kce.fgov.be.
authors.forename: Lorena San
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Miguel
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Care Management, Technische Universität Berlin, Strasse des 17, Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Uta
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Augustin
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Care Management, Technische Universität Berlin, Strasse des 17, Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Busse
authors.affiliation: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 5-17 Tavistock Place, London, UK.
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Knai
authors.affiliation: Department of Economic Theory and Centre d'Anàlisi Econòmica i de les Politíques Socials (CAEPS), University of Barcelona (UB), Ave. Diagonal 690, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rubert
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), P.O. Box 30, FI-00271 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Sinikka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sihvo
authors.affiliation: European Social Observatory (OSE), Rue Paul Emile Janson 13, Brussels 1050, Belgium.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baeten
mesh_terms: D001530:Belgium; D005062:European Union / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005387:Finland; D005858:Germany; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007880:Legislation, Drug / Q000458:organization & administration; D055553:Prescription Drugs; D055656:Prescriptions; D013030:Spain; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs
keywords: Dispensing POMs; EU legislation; Medicines; Mutual recognition; Prescribing; Prescription-only