Community pharmacists’ perceptions of dispensing long-term prescriptions exceeding 90 days – A survey of pharmacists from a single pharmacy chain
10.24304/kjcp.2025.35.2.111
- Author:
Yunjoung KIM
1
;
Eunjin HONG
;
Hyekyung PARK
Author Information
1. Graduate School of Clinical Pharmacy, CHA University, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do 11160, Republic of Korea
- Publication Type:Original Article
- From:Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
2025;35(2):111-120
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Background:The prevalence of long-term prescriptions, often exceeding six months, has increased in recent years. This raises con-cerns about potential risks to patient safety due to insufficient monitoring of changes in patient conditions after initiating treatment.
Objectives:This study investigates community pharmacists’ perceptions of long-term prescriptions exceeding 90 days, focusing on dispensing practices, perceived advantages and disadvantages, and strategies to minimize associated risks.
Methods:After informing 735 pharmacists from a single pharmacy chain about the study’s purpose and content, an online survey was conducted among those who consented to participate. A total of 267 pharmacists responded between July 6 and July 13, 2024. Data were collected using a Google Forms questionnaire and analyzed using chi-square tests with a significance level of 0.05.
Results:88.8% of pharmacists reported dispensing long-term prescriptions (≥90 days) daily, with 50-70% involving unit dose packing. Reduced patient visits and resulting cost saving were noted as benefits of long-term prescriptions. Concerns included risks such as decreased stability due tolong-term storage, polypharmacy, reduced medication adherence, and drug waste. The main reasons for discarded medications were prescription changes (66.7%) and overlaps with other medications (26.2%).
Conclusions:Long-term prescriptions can undermine the safety of drug use and lead to issues such as costs associated with drug disposal. Therefore, policy efforts are needed to addressthese concerns.
