Evidence mapPaperPMID 39650807Full record

ArticleExploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy2024

Non-dispensed prescriptions - A nationwide descriptive study.

Heini Kari, Fredriikka Nurminen, Hanna Rättö, Hanna Koskinen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Mental disorders and osteoporosis treatment in patients with hip fracture-a Danish population-based cohort study.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2026
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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Heini KariResearch Unit, The Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), Helsinki, Finland.
Fredriikka NurminenResearch Unit, The Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), Helsinki, Finland.
Hanna RättöResearch Unit, The Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), Helsinki, Finland.
Hanna KoskinenResearch Unit, The Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), Helsinki, Finland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Medication non-adherence is associated with suboptimal health outcomes, higher mortality, and increased healthcare costs. Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the number and share of non-dispensed prescriptions at a national level and in specific patient and medicine subgroups. Methods: The study was a nationwide retrospective register-based study. The data consisted of prescriptions prescribed in Finland in 2020 and dispensed between 2020 and 2022. A prescription was considered non-dispensed if it had not been dispensed within the two-year validity period. For each prescription, information on the patient's birth date, sex, and income as well as details of the prescribed medicine and physician's employment sector (public/private) were collected. Distributions and odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were used in the analyses. Results: Of the 26 million prescriptions, 13.3 % were never filled. Over 1.7 million people (43.3 % of all people with prescriptions issued in 2020) had at least one non-dispensed prescription. The share of non-dispensed prescriptions was lower in men than women (12.9 % vs. 13.5 %; OR:0.95; CI:0.95-0.95). Compared to the youngest age group, the share of non-dispensed prescriptions was lower in the older age groups. The lowest share of non-dispensed medicines was in antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents (7.8 %) and in cardiovascular system medicines (8.1 %), whereas the highest was in dermatologicals (20.2 %). The proportion of non-dispensed prescriptions varied between medicine groups, from 5 % for thyroid therapy to 38 % for other nervous system drugs. The most frequently non-dispensed medications were paracetamol, ibuprofen, and salbutamol. Conclusion: The share and number of non-dispensed prescriptions varied across therapeutic areas, medicine groups, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and patient groups. Healthcare professionals should avoid unnecessary prescribing and improve medication adherence to ensure safer and more effective care.

Indexed as

Medication adherenceNon-dispensed prescriptionsOutpatient carePharmacoepidemiologyPrescribing

Identifiers

PMID39650807
PMCPMC11625144

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.