The Public And Prescribed Medicines
New research by MORI for 'Ask About Medicines Week' commissioned by Medicines Partnership shows that, while a majority of people (82%) want information about prescribed medicines from a range of different sources, most value information from traditional and face-to-face sources.
New research by MORI for 'Ask About Medicines Week' commissioned by Medicines Partnership shows that, while a majority of people (82%) want information about prescribed medicines from a range of different sources, most value information from traditional and face-to-face sources.
Seven in 10 (69%) consider their doctor to be the most useful source of information about prescribed medicines, and around half (52%) cite pharmacists as useful sources of information. Newer sources of information, such as NHS Direct and the internet, are less likely to be considered useful (both mentioned by 14%).
Britons are split as to the level of influence they want vis-а-vis their doctor when making decisions about their treatments. Four in 10 (40%) want to make treatment decisions in partnership with their doctor, while a third (32%) want their doctor to decide on the best treatment options. However, only a quarter (25%) want to make their own decisions about treatment (after being given information about treatment options by their doctor), highlighting the crucial role played by GPs in decision-making for the majority.
Technical details
MORI interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,864 adults aged 15+, face-to-face in their homes, from 26th August to 1st September 2004, in 189 sampling points in Great Britain. Data have been weighted to the known profile of the British population.
Topline Results
- 1,864 adults aged 15+ in 2004
- Interviewed face-to-face, in-home
- Between 26 August and 1 September 2004
- 189 sampling points throughout Great Britain (2004)
- An asterisk (*) indicates a percentage of less than 0.5% but greater than zero
- Data have been weighted to reflect the national profile
- Base all, unless stated otherwise
When comparable, results from the 2003 survey are also shown:
- 2,019 adults aged 15+
- Interviewed face-to-face, in-home
- Between 17 and 22 July 2003
- 192 sampling points throughout Great Britain
- Data have been weighted to reflect the national profile
- An asterisk (*) indicates a percentage of less than 0.5% but greater than zero
- Base all, unless stated otherwise
I would now like to talk to you about prescription medicines.
Q1 Which, if any, of the following applies to you personally? Please read out the letter or letters which apply. 'New medicine' at B and C means something that you have not previously been prescribed for an existing illness at B or a newly diagnosed illness at C.
| 2003 | 2004 | |
|---|---|---|
| % | % | |
| A) I have been taking prescribed medicine for 12 months or more (Please include taking different prescribed medicines, if the total time has been 12 months or more) | 31 | 37 |
| B) I have had a new medicine prescribed in the last 12 months for an existing illness | 12 | 14 |
| C) I have had a new medicine prescribed in the last 12 months for a newly diagnosed illness | 14 | 13 |
| D) I have not taken any prescription medicines in the last 12 months | 27 | 26 |
| None of these | 23 | 21 |
| Don't know / Can't remember | 1 | 1 |
Q2 Which, if any, of the following sources do you personally find most useful when you want information about a prescribed medicine?
| 2003 (unprompted) | 2004 | |
|---|---|---|
| % | % | |
| Doctor (including GP, hospital doctor, consultant, specialist) | 77 | 69 |
| Nurse (including hospital nurse, practice nurse, community nurse and district nurse) | 11 | 18 |
| Pharmacist (including chemist and hospital pharmacist) | 49 | 52 |
| Other health professional | 3 | 4 |
| NHS Direct / NHS Telephone Helpline | 9 | 12 |
| The internet / websites / computer-based sources (includes NHS Direct Online) | 14 | 14 |
| Pharmaceutical company (includes manufacturer, industry, company that makes medicines) | 2 | 4 |
| Company websites | 1 | - |
| Government websites (e.g. NHS, DoH) | 2 | - |
| Leaflet in pack (includes patient information leaflet, pack insert, instructions and paper in packet) | 5 | 30 |
| Other leaflet e.g. given by GP or other health professional; picked up in pharmacy etc. | 2 | - |
| Friends / Family | - | 13 |
| Patient organisations (includes patient groups, self-help groups) | 0 | 2 |
| Charities | 0 | - |
| Media (including magazines, newspapers, TV, radio and news) | 3 | 8 |
| Other | 8 | 1 |
| None of these | 1 | 1 |
| I don't look for information about prescribed medicines | 2 | 1 |
| Don't know | 4 | 2 |
Some information sources were not mentioned in 2003, or were not prompted for in 2004. These are indicated by "-"
Q3 Thinking about the new medicine that you were prescribed for the first time in the last 12 months or so, do you feel that you know enough or not about each of the following that I am going to read out? By 'new medicine' I mean something that you had not previously been prescribed.Base: All who have had a new medicine prescribed in the last 12 months in 2004 (456) and 2003 (517)
| Yes | No | No opinion / Don't know | Not Applicable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | ||
| How and when to take the medicine | 2003 | 95 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2004 | 96 | 3 | 1 | - | |
| Whether to avoid other medicines, drinks, foods or activities such as driving | 2003 | 80 | 15 | 2 | 3 |
| 2004 | 84 | 14 | 1 | 1 | |
| How long to take the medicine | 2003 | 91 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 2004 | 90 | 8 | 1 | 1 | |
| The purpose of the medicine, that is what this medicine does | 2003 | 88 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| 2004 | 91 | 6 | 2 | - | |
| Potential benefits of the medicine | 2003 | 83 | 14 | 3 | 0 |
| 2004 | 89 | 9 | 2 | - | |
| Potential side-effects from the medicine | 2003 | 67 | 29 | 3 | 1 |
| 2004 | 76 | 21 | 1 | 1 | |
| What to do if you get side-effects | 2003 | 66 | 29 | 3 | 2 |
| 2004 | 76 | 20 | 2 | 1 | |
| Other possible choices such as a different medicine or an alternative type of treatment | 2003 | 37 | 55 | 5 | 3 |
| 2004 | 50 | 44 | 4 | 2 |
Q4 Thinking about the last time you had a new medicine prescribed for you, how much, if at all, do you feel that your views were taken into account in the decision to give you that medicine? Would you say...
| 2003 | 2004 | |
|---|---|---|
| % | % | |
| ...more than you wanted | 3 | 3 |
| ...about as much as you wanted | 48 | 55 |
| ...not really as much as you wanted | 9 | 8 |
| ...not at all as much as you wanted | 6 | 5 |
| I didn't give my views | 14 | 15 |
| I didn't want my views taken into account / I didn't want to be involved in the decision | 6 | 3 |
| Don't know/Can't remember | 14 | 10 |
Q5 When you see a doctor, which, if any, of the following do you prefer?
| % | % | |
|---|---|---|
| For the doctor to decide what treatment is best for me | 32 | 32 |
| For the doctor and I to decide together what is the best treatment for me | 39 | 40 |
| For the doctor to give me treatment choices and explain the differences between them, then I decide which I prefer | 24 | 24 |
| It varies | 2 | 2 |
| None of these | 2 | 1 |
| Don't know | 1 | 1 |
Q6 Overall, how strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
| Strongly agree | Tend to agree | Neither agree nor disagree | Tend to disagree | Strongly disagree | No opinion | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | ||
| There is already enough information available about the risks and benefits of medicine | 2003 | 7 | 39 | 14 | 30 | 8 | 2 |
| 2004 | 7 | 42 | 14 | 26 | 7 | 4 | |
| It is valuable to have a range of different types of information about medicines from different sources | 2003 | 32 | 49 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| 2004 | 24 | 58 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 2 | |
| It would be better to have only one single source of information about medicines | 2003 | 6 | 14 | 12 | 37 | 28 | 3 |
| 2004 | 6 | 17 | 13 | 41 | 21 | 3 |
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