Opinion

There is an assumption that if a patient keeps turning up to pick up the repeat prescription then this will lead to better outcomes for the patient.

There is an assumption that if a patient keeps turning up to pick up the repeat prescription then this will lead to better outcomes for the patient. But in the UK over 100 million of medicines were returned to the pharmacist for destruction, we dont actually know how much got thrown away, but I think the figure of 100million is just the tip of the ice-berg!

So if a patient picks up their medication there is no real assurance that they actually take it and hence derive the benefit from their medication. This is why it is important to look not just at programs that drive patients to pick up a prescription, but programs that motivate and educate the patient appropriately to actually take their medication in the first instance. Patients typically visit the pharmacy more than they do their GP surgery, so perhaps programs developed around the pharmacist educating and motivating the patient at the point of dispensing may go some way to address this.