Term: Access to Pharmaceutical Care

Glossary Definition

Last Updated: 2005-11-29

Definition:

The percentage of individuals who receive at least one prescription during the year.

To measure trends of pharmaceutical use and cost, Morgan et al. (2003) defined access as the number of discrete patients filling one or more prescription for any drug within the product class.

Related terms 

• Defined Daily Dose (DDD)
• Drug Utilization Indicator
• Intensity of (Pharmaceutical) Use
• Measures of Pharmaceutical Use
• Number of Drugs (Different) Dispensed
• Number of Prescriptions Dispensed
• Pharmaceutical Use / Prescription Rate
• Pharmaceutical User
• Prescribed Daily Dose (PDD)

References 

• Metge C, Black C, Peterson S, Kozyrskyj A, Roos NP, Bogdanovic B. Analysis of Patterns of Pharmaceutical Use in Manitoba, 1996: Key Findings - A POPULIS Project. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation, 1999. [Report] [Summary] (View)
• Morgan SG, Kozyrskyj A, Metge C, Roos NP. Pharmaceuticals: Therapeutic interchange and pricing policies. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2003. [Report] [Summary] (View)

Term used in 

• Fransoo R, Martens P, The Need to Know Team, Burland E, Prior H, Burchill C, Chateau D, Walld R. Sex Differences in Health Status, Health Care Use, and Quality of Care: A Population-Based Analysis for Manitoba's Regional Health Authorities. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2005. [Report] [Summary] [Additional Materials] (View)