Public Attitudes towards Medicinal Waste and Medicines Reuse in a 'Free Prescription' Healthcare System.

ABSTRACT: This study investigates public attitudes towards medicinal waste and medicines reuse within a 'free prescription' healthcare system. A quantitative online survey was employed in a sample drawn from the population of Wales, where prescription medicines have been 'free' since 2007. Qualitative interviews informed the content of the attitude statements with categorical or ordinal response options assigned. The questionnaire was hosted on the HealthWise Wales platform for 1 year from October 2017. Of the 5584 respondents, 67.2% had at least one medicine on repeat prescription. Overall, 89.1% held strong concerns about medicinal waste. High acceptance for the reuse of prescription medicines which have been returned unused by patients to pharmacies was reported for tablets (78.7%) and capsules (

SUBMITTER: McRae D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8167727 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature