OBJECTIVES: To assess primary care users' views on generic drugs, approach to them and degree of understanding of them; and to find the importance they attach to the economic cost of medication. DESIGN: Transversal, descriptive study. SETTING: Primary care. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 231 patients was selected from all the people over 18 who attended the health centre for medical consultation during 2001. RESULTS: 60% (95% CI, 55.22%-67.42%) of those surveyed said they had heard of generic medicines. The communications media were the main source of information, accounting for 78.4% of cases (95% CI, 69.19%-83.96%). 48.04% (95% CI, 38.04%-58.16%) of those who had heard of generic medicines had taken them on some occasion; and 32.4% (95% CI, 23.42%-42.34%) normally took them. 76.47% (95% CI, 67.04%-84.30%) did not mind or, where appropriate, would not mind if their doctor changed a medicine they normally took for a generic one. The mean age of those who did not mind was significantly lower than that of those who did. 50% (95% CI, 42.25%-52.75%) of those questioned were very interested in the cost of drugs prescribed by their doctors: people still working were more interested than those on a pension. 67.6% (95% CI, 60.06%-74.61%) believed that doctors should try to prescribe the cheapest drugs, as long as they were equally efficacious. 78.8% of those questioned (95% CI, 71.91%-84.70%) would choose the cheaper of two drugs which were the same bar the cost. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients in our study were aware of generic drugs and were not against the replacement of a medicine they were already taking by a generic one. They did not relate drugs' cost to their quality.
OBJECTIVES: To assess primary care users' views on generic drugs, approach to them and degree of understanding of them; and to find the importance they attach to the economic cost of medication. DESIGN: Transversal, descriptive study. SETTING: Primary care. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 231 patients was selected from all the people over 18 who attended the health centre for medical consultation during 2001. RESULTS: 60% (95% CI, 55.22%-67.42%) of those surveyed said they had heard of generic medicines. The communications media were the main source of information, accounting for 78.4% of cases (95% CI, 69.19%-83.96%). 48.04% (95% CI, 38.04%-58.16%) of those who had heard of generic medicines had taken them on some occasion; and 32.4% (95% CI, 23.42%-42.34%) normally took them. 76.47% (95% CI, 67.04%-84.30%) did not mind or, where appropriate, would not mind if their doctor changed a medicine they normally took for a generic one. The mean age of those who did not mind was significantly lower than that of those who did. 50% (95% CI, 42.25%-52.75%) of those questioned were very interested in the cost of drugs prescribed by their doctors: people still working were more interested than those on a pension. 67.6% (95% CI, 60.06%-74.61%) believed that doctors should try to prescribe the cheapest drugs, as long as they were equally efficacious. 78.8% of those questioned (95% CI, 71.91%-84.70%) would choose the cheaper of two drugs which were the same bar the cost. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients in our study were aware of generic drugs and were not against the replacement of a medicine they were already taking by a generic one. They did not relate drugs' cost to their quality.