Maltese patients consume a high amount of medicines when compared with other countries in Europe, according to a study that indicates people on the island have a strong acceptance of both prescribed and non-prescribed medication.
The study highlights a culture – typical of Mediterranean countries – where people accept ‘prescriptions’ from their relatives and neighbours.
Compared to other countries, doctors have a higher tendency to prescribe and pharmacists give medicines without prescriptions.
The EU-funded project looked at the attitudes influencing the prescribing and dispensing of medicine in seven countries: Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Malta, Sweden and Turkey.
The research in Malta was led by Dominic Agius, research secretary of the Malta College of Family Doctors, on behalf the Mediterranean Institute of Primary Care.
The study revealed factors that were common in the general European setting, including a positive attitude towards prescribing and dispensing medicines and a higher intention to prescribe among women doctors compared with men.
In Malta and Sweden, younger doctors have a higher tendency than older ones to prescribe medicines without having “well-documented evidence” that patients need them, the study found.
The number of prescribed medicines consumed was also found to differ according to gender in Malta, with women taking an average of three medications over six months and men two.
There is a culture where people accept ‘prescriptions’ from relatives and neighbours
The countries with the highest proportions of patients who consumed non-prescribed medication were Cyprus, Malta, the Czech Republic and Greece.
For prescribed medicines, the highest reported consumption was in Cyprus, Malta, France and Sweden.
The study spoke about the need to better educate doctors, pharmacists and patients about the importance of not overprescribing or taking medicines unnecessarily.
During last week’s conference Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly Franco Mercieca also spoke about the need to educate people about risks associated with taking unnecessary medication.
“Another positive effect would surely be from educating older people of the negative impact of hoarding medicines, which may contribute to soaring financial costs, and in some cases, even out-of-stock medication,” he said.