title: A cross-sectional analysis of prescription and stakeholder surveys following essential medicine reform in Guangdong Province, China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An essential medicine (EM) system has been implemented in China to reduce patients' financial burden and to make the use of drugs more rational. This study aims to evaluate the current state of the EM system in Guangdong Province.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted surveys in 21 cities in 2012, covering 98 medical institutions, 1,509 doctors, 17 medicine manufacturers, and 17 distribution companies. We also reviewed outpatient prescriptions (n = 9,941) for treating hypertension, diabetes, bacterial infections and gout to measure the rational use of drugs in secondary and tertiary (upper-level) hospitals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage of non-priority EM use ranged from 8.1% to 10.7% in upper-level hospitals, and this non-priority use significantly increased prescription drug costs. Other types of inappropriate medicine use were found more frequently in treating bacterial infections (7.4%) than in treating hypertension (1.6%), diabetes (1.3%) and gout (1.7%). Tertiary hospitals prescribed fewer EMs than secondary hospitals; moreover, tertiary hospitals had higher prescription drug costs. The zero mark-up policy decreased prescription drug costs in secondary hospitals. The survey revealed that forced full-prescription EM use might lead to fewer patient visits to primary hospitals. Manufacturers had halted the production of four (1, 23) types of EMs at the time of the survey.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Encouraging the priority use of EMs and implementation of the zero mark-up policy were effective in curtailing prescription medicine costs in upper-level hospitals. Further work should focus on the following: creating guidelines to enhance rational prescription behavior, establishing policies to support EM use in upper-level hospitals and improving the bidding system to ensure a steady supply of the lowest-priced generic drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Zhongshan Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhongshan, 528403, China. zwykl@qq.com.|School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China. zwykl@qq.com.
authors.forename: Wen-yuan
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Zhongshan Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhongshan, 528403, China. 969856827@qq.com.
authors.forename: Ying-ran
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Zhongshan Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhongshan, 528403, China. zsyylcyx@163.com.
authors.forename: Yun-jing
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Zhongshan Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhongshan, 528403, China. pharm-lxq@foxmail.com.
authors.forename: Xue-qin
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Zhongshan Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhongshan, 528403, China. zwgbaby@163.com.
authors.forename: Wei-guo
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Zhongshan Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhongshan, 528403, China. lurongzhi@163.com.
authors.forename: Rong-zhi
authors.initials: RZ
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002681:China; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000188:drug therapy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016527:Drug Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018954:Drugs, Essential / Q000191:economics*; D016568:Drugs, Generic / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D005382:Financing, Personal; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000191:economics*
chemical_list: D018954:Drugs, Essential; D016568:Drugs, Generic; D055553:Prescription Drugs