Classification of Pharmaceutical Policy Measures During the Portuguese Financial Crisis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

A rise in pharmaceutical expenses in Portugal led to the introduction of policy measures aimed at controlling outpatient public costs. This research examines and categorizes the most common pharmaceutical measures implemented during the Troika intervention, as well as comparing this period of time to prior ones.

Methods

A hierarchical structure of descriptors was built to classify and group measures over a 20-year period, including whether they might be deemed austerity measures. The nature, relative weight, and frequency of measures, along with the evolution of public drug expenditure, were assessed.

Results

Although there were fluctuations, frequency tended to increase. The highest number of policy changes per year was in 2010, a year before the financial

SUBMITTER: Donato AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9127866 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature