Healthy Skepticism Library item: 9568

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Roberts K, Sharp JR.
Original packs-what do patients think?
Pharmaceutical Journal 1988 Mar 19; 240:382-384

Abstract:

Results of a survey conducted to explore the acceptability to patients of pharmaceutical products that are dispensed in the original packs provided by the manufacturer are presented. A prepared questionnaire was administered over a period of 3 months by a pharmacist, a preregistration graduate or a first year pharmacy student to 200 patients as they collected their prescriptions at a small suburban pharmacy in England. It is noted that the area served by the pharmacy contains a higher proportion of elderly people than in the country as a whole. Individual opinions on the ease or difficulty of use of a variety of packs, including bottles with screw caps, bottles with Clic-Loc caps, plastic containers with tear-off tamper evident rings, strip packs, blister packs, aerosols and tubes, are analyzed. Overall, 79.5% reported that they preferred original packs to those traditionally provided by pharmacists, 12.5% did not prefer the original packs and 8% expressed no opinion. A total of 121 patients (60.5%) reported that original packs helped them remember how and when to take their medicine, but the rate was even higher (95%) among those who received blister packs.