Table 2.
Questionnaire filled by outpatients and the percentage of each possible answer.
| Questionsa | Answers* (% to total) | Median | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | (IQR) | ||
| 1 | Have you ever avoided purchasing the prescribed medication solely due to high cost? | 5.2 | 12.1 | 39.2 | 19.8 | 23.8 | 3(1) |
| 2 | Do you abruptly stop taking your medication earlier than prescribed? | 2.5 | 8.5 | 39.4 | 33.3 | 16.3 | 3(1) |
| 3 | Do you take into consideration the exact time of administering your medications? | 41.7 | 45.6 | 10.0 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 2(1) |
| 4 | Do you take into consideration the conditions of administering a drug i.e. before/after meals? | 40 | 47.3 | 10.2 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 2(1) |
| 5 | Do you double the dose if you forget 1 or 2 doses? | 1.5 | 5.0 | 39.0 | 24.2 | 30.4 | 4(2) |
| 6 | Do you double the dose if you do not feel better? | 1.5 | 5.0 | 31.9 | 31.7 | 30.0 | 4(2) |
| 7 | Do you use any medication without consulting your physician or pharmacist? | 2.9 | 7.3 | 34.0 | 35.0 | 20.8 | 4(1) |
| 8 | Do you use others’ leftover drugs? | 0.6 | 6.3 | 29.0 | 31.9 | 32.3 | 4(2) |
| 9 | Do you donate your medications if someone needs them? | 2.3 | 7.5 | 25.6 | 31.0 | 33.5 | 4(2) |
| 10 | Do you advise the others to use any drugs without medical examination? | 0.8 | 6.7 | 22.1 | 39.8 | 30.6 | 4(2) |
| 11 | Do you continue taking a drug after its expiry date is reached? | 0.2 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 22.1 | 75.0 | 5 (0.75) |
| 12 | Do you continue taking a drug even if side effects occur? | 0.6 | 5.4 | 16.5 | 37.3 | 40.2 | 4(1) |
| 13 | Do you have regular physical examinations if you have to use any drug for a long time? | 30.0 | 29.6 | 22.5 | 10.8 | 7.1 | 2(2) |
| 14 | Do you repeat purchasing a drug without consulting the physician? | 2.1 | 11.3 | 44.8 | 25.4 | 16.5 | 3(1) |
| 15 | In case you forget how to use any drug, do you seek the advice from the physician? | 36.3 | 24.8 | 19.8 | 16.5 | 2.7 | 2(2) |
| 16 | In case you forget how to use any drug, do you seek the advice from the pharmacist? | 48.3 | 28.5 | 17.5 | 4.2 | 1.5 | 2(1) |
| 17 | Do you read the leaflet in the medications’ package when you forget how to use them? | 49.4 | 28.5 | 16.9 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 2(1) |
| 18 | In case of dispensing a previously prescribed medication, do you use it in accordance with your new conditions? | 10.8 | 38.5 | 30.0 | 13.5 | 7.1 | 3(1) |
| 19 | Upon consultation, do you tell the physician about the drugs you have been using? | 53.8 | 33.3 | 10.0 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 1(1) |
| 20 | Upon consultation, does the physician ask you about drugs you have been using? | 48.8 | 30.8 | 15.0 | 4.6 | 0.8 | 2(1) |
*Answers: Always (1), Often (2), Sometimes (3), Rarely (4), Never (5). The highest reported response for each question is highlighted in italics.
aChi-square tests (goodness of fit) showed significant differences among the five possible answers to all questions (P<0.001). IQR, interquartile range.