Patients' Coping Behaviors to Unavailability of Essential Medicines in Primary Care in Developed Urban China.

ABSTRACT:

Background

China rolled out the national essential medicines policy (NEMP) in primary care in 2009 and led to some unintended consequences including unavailability of essential medicines. This study examined patients' coping behaviors to these unintended consequences of NEMP as well as the potential impact on primary care system development in Hangzhou, a developed city of China.

Methods

We conducted qualitative interviews and surveys with service users, primary care physicians (PCPs), and specialists in tertiary hospitals. Qualitative findings informed the design of the survey questionnaires. Main outcomes included patients' coping behaviors after the NEMP implementation, as well as providers' perceptions of NEMP's impact on primary care development. Thematic analysis of th

SUBMITTER: Wu D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7947706 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature