Consumer-Related Projects
Pharmacy-Based Smoking Cessation Program for Young Adults. Betty Chewning, PhD, Principal Investigator. David Kreling, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator, Dale Wilson, MA, Co-Investigator. Awarded by the Wisconsin Tobacco Control Board, DHFS. $175,084. 2000 - 2001.
This is a pilot study to design, implement and evaluate a pharmacy based smoking cessation program for employees at their work site, drawing on the Transtheoretical Model. Pharmacists working in Roundy's Food Stores offer tobacco cessation programs to 18-24 year old workers as a part of a major statewide initiative to decrease smoking among young adults.
Use of Over-the-Counter Drug Products: The Role of Prescription Drug Insurance and Time Costs. David Mott, PhD, Principal Investigator. Awarded by the University of Wisconsin Graduate School. $13,800. 2000.
The purpose of this study was empirically to evaluate the association of insurance system variables, time variables and demographic variables with the use of over-the-counter drug products. A random sample of 4,000 Wisconsin residents between the age of 25 and 64 were mailed surveys to evaluate use and cost of non-prescription drugs, risk they associated with using over-the-counter drugs, and the time costs of obtaining prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
A National Survey of Elderly Drug Insurance and Drug Use. David Mott, PhD and Jon C. Schommer, PhD, Co-Principal Investigators. Awarded by the University of Minnesota. $12,000. 2000.
The purpose of this study is to: 1) describe the presence and type of prescription drug coverage for older Americans (aged 65 and over), (2) describe out-of-pocket payment level required by prescription drug plans used by older Americans, and (3) examine the association of prescription drug coverage type with the use of prescription drugs by older Americans. A randomly selected national sample of 1,300 community dwelling older Americans will be mailed a survey.
Pharmaceutical Care Outcomes: The Patient Role. Betty Chewning, PhD, Principal Investigator. Carolyn L. Bell, MD, Larry E. Boh, MS, Nancy S. Nowlin, MD, David Kreling, PhD, Joseph Wiederholt, PhD, Co-Principal Investigators. Dale Wilson, MA, Co-Investigator. Awarded by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, U.S. DHHS. $2,014,590. 1993 - 1999.
This descriptive study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis documented their medication decisions and outcomes. Over a three-year period, patients' decisions to augment, substitute, adhere to, or discontinue medications were tracked with respect to both prescription and OTC drugs. Patients' quality of life and functional health status as well as clinical measures of health status were examined in relation to their prescribed regimen variations and additional OTC drug use. The findings indicate that patients play an active role in their care and their decisions have major implications for health outcomes. The findings also affirm the importance of acknowledging the complexity of patients' medication and self-care regimens, the process and safety of patients' decisions, their priorities for symptom management and economic pressures, and the need for effective partnerships with health care providers.
Consumer Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Pharmacist Services and Prescription Drug Plans. Joseph Wiederholt, PhD, Principal Investigator. David Kreling, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator. Awarded by the Pharmacist Society of Wisconsin. $2,500. 1998.
Two surveys of consumers residing in Wisconsin were conducted. The surveys were done concurrently to separate samples of consumers throughout the state. One survey focused on perceptions about pharmacies and pharmacy services, including patronage motives, importance of professional pharmacist services, and working and communicating with pharmacists. The second survey assessed prescription coverage and events/concerns about that coverage, perceptions about working with pharmacists, and attitudes about two sample expanded pharmacist medication services (e.g., usefulness, appropriate price, whether should be covered by insurance).
Factors Associated with Generic Drug Use Behavior. David Mott, PhD, Principal Investigator. Awarded by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. $12,500. 1998.
The first goal of this project was the development of a comprehensive model of health system, physician, patient, insurance system, pharmacy and drug product characteristics associated with generic drug use. The second goal was to use data at the pharmacy level to empirically estimate the effects of factors associated with generic drug use. A database of 7,500 prescription orders dispensed from community pharmacies was used for analysis.
Patient Gender and Psychotropic Prescribing. Betsy Sleath, PhD, Principal Investigator. Bonnie Svarstad, PhD. Awarded by the Agency for Health Care Policy Research, U.S. DHHS. $21,000. 1992 - 1993.
The study examined how patient gender differences in 508 audio-taped physician-patient interactions influenced the prescribing of psychotropic medications to male and female patients in 11 different primary care settings. Seventeen percent of the patients received at least one or more prescriptions for psychotropic medications. Logistic regression techniques were used to examine how: (1) patient gender, (2) patient somatic, emotional, and social problem expression, and (3) physician perceptions of patient emotional health and social problems influenced psychotropic prescribing.
Male patients were almost twice as likely to receive a prescription. Patients who expressed more emotional complaints and patients who physicians perceived as being in worse emotional health were significantly more likely to receive a prescription for psychotropic medication.
The International Medication Compliance Project. Betty Chewning, PhD, Bonnie Svarstad, PhD, and Larry E. Boh, MS, Investigators. Awarded by APOTEKSBOLAGET, the National Corporation of Swedish Pharmacies. $54,749. 1989 - 1991.
Consumers of prescription medications often make one or more mistakes in taking their drugs, errors with respect to dosage, duration and/or early discontinuation of the medication prescribed. This joint Swedish and American project developed and evaluated an instrument to be used cross-nationally to measure patient drug errors. The instrument also measured factors to identify whether an individual was at risk of noncompliance. In preparation for the instrument design, Swedish and American collaborators identified classes of drug errors and risk factors for these errors such as complexity of regimen, nature of drug side-effects for the medication prescribed, and physical handicaps of the consumer. Based on the cross-national research, the project developed and validated an instrument to be used by both Swedish and American teams. The instrument became the Brief Medication Questionnaire (BMQ).
Environmental Dimensions of Consumer Choice For the Purpose of Prescription Drugs. PhD dissertation by Earlene Lipowski, major professor Joseph B. Wiederholt, PhD. Partially funded by the Sonderegger Research Center. $12,407. 1986 - 1988.
Some consumers select a pharmacy with little deliberation whereas others thoughtfully weigh multiple attributes. We propose that a well-reasoned selection depends upon motivation, ability and opportunity. Consumers will use heuristics, random choice or avoid making a decision if motivation, ability or opportunity are lacking. The objectives of this study were to assess the motivation and self-rated ability of consumers to select a pharmacy for the purchase of a prescription drug, and to examine the personal and environmental factors related to their motivation and ability. We surveyed 757 households in three communities with different pharmacy market environments and obtained responses from 461 (61%). Motivation varied with respondents' perception of the business complexity of retail pharmacy, their familiarity with the prescription purchase task, income, product involvement, age and annual medical expenditures ( R-square = 0.20). Predictors of perceived ability included familiarity with prescription purchase task and perception of interdependence among health professionals, the business complexity of retail pharmacy, conflict among health professionals, and diversity among pharmacies (R-square = 0.17). More reliable measures of consumer perceptions are needed, but market environment and individual characteristics appear to influence motivation and ability and thereby affect the choice process.