Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy
Volume 6, Issue 1 , Pages 70-77, March 2010

Electronically transmitted prescriptions not picked up at pharmacies in Sweden

  • Fredrik Ax, M.Sc.(Pharm.)

      Affiliations

    • Apoteket Västerås Hospital EA, Västerås Central Hospital, SE-721 89 Västerås, Sweden
    • ,
  • Anders Ekedahl, M.Sc.(Pharm.), Ph.D.(Med. Sc.)

      Affiliations

    • R&D Department, Apoteket AB, Apoteket Lejonet, Stortorget 8, SE-211 34 Malmö, Sweden
    • School of Pure and Applied Natural Sciences, University of Kalmar, SE-391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +46 70 545 1057; fax: +46 40 97 00 89.

published online 12 October 2009.

Abstract 

Background

Electronically transmitted prescriptions (ETPs) became common after 1995 in Sweden; however, it is accompanied by a substantial increase in the number of prescriptions not picked up at pharmacies.

Objective

To investigate the “no pick-up” rates of ETPs at pharmacies across type of drug and patient age and gender and the reasons patients' report for no pick-up.

Methods

A cross-sectional study examining no pick-up of ETPs transmitted during 3 months in 2002, and a mail survey of patients to determine the reasons for failure to pick-up in the county of Sörmland, Sweden, with a population of 261,000, and 21 pharmacies. Chi-square tests were used for calculations of frequency differences among groups.

Results

The overall no pick-up rate of ETPs was 2.5%; men had consistently higher rates than women. The highest rates were seen for adolescents and young adults. Rates were higher than average for antibiotics. About 60% of the answers indicated that prescriptions not picked up were duplicate prescriptions or not needed. “Unintentional nonadherence” was reported by one-fifth of patients.

Conclusions

No pick-up rate in general was low (2.5%), but there were differences across patient age and gender, the rates being higher among adolescents and young adults. Duplicate prescriptions may explain a significant share of the abandoned prescriptions.

Keywords: Electronic prescriptions, Primary nonadherence, Sweden, Community pharmacy

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PII: S1551-7411(09)00074-6

doi:10.1016/j.sapharm.2009.06.003

Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy
Volume 6, Issue 1 , Pages 70-77, March 2010

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