E-drug: Economic consequences of irrational prescribing?
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Dear E-druggers,
I am a student on the Masters in Community Health at the
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. I am about to
undertake a small research study in Mexico, of only 7 weeks
in-country duration, from the end of July. The study,
although not fully developed yet, is entitled (something
along the lines of ):
The economic consequences of inadequate drug prescribing on
both users and providers of health care services: a case
study of San Cristobal, Chiapas, Mexico.
A rough outline of the study:
The objectives are
1. to estimate the economic losses to a health facility due
to inadequate drug prescribing
2. to estimate the economic losses to users due to
inadequate drug prescribing.
The first includes economic losses due to extended length
of stay, extra drug consumption, extra lab tests etc..
caused by increased length of disease episode.
The second economic losses due to extra consultations, drug
purchases, travel costs, days work lost etc.. due to
extended disease episode.
Prescribing covers three areas, Dr. prescribing,
pharmacy/drug seller prescribing and self-prescribing.
Data will be collected from patients through in
depth-interviews following a checklist of topics.
There is much literature about irrational prescribing, its
investigations, and its problems, but I can't find much, if
anything, about the economic consequences of it on users or
on health care facilities (except cost-effective DUR work
in hospitals in the developed world).
Has anyone done similar work or does anyone know of
anything in the literature that is relevant to help me out
with formulating this study? I would be extremely grateful
to hear from anyone who has anything to contribute. Please
feel free to contact me directly at the following e mail
address, or via the E drug network.
Regards
Jane Briggs
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Email: briggs@liverpool.ac.uk
Liverpool, UK
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