Trial reportInternational journal of clinical pharmacy2015
Exploring the opinions and experiences of patients with generic substitution: a representative study of Polish society.
Trial report in International journal of clinical pharmacy, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- What Do Users of Generic Medicines Think of Them? A Systematic Review of Consumers' and Patients' Perceptions of, and Experiences with, Generic Medicines.The patient · 2016Pooled it
- Influence of sex and gender-related factors on the knowledge of generic medicines among older patients and caregivers.Internal and emergency medicine · 2026Article
- A mixed-methods study investigating the potential and challenges of generic substitution of controlled substances in community pharmacies.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2025Article
- Article
- Opinion of Polish Patients with Epilepsy on Generic Medications.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Factors facilitating and hindering counselling about generic substitution and a reference price system in community pharmacies - a survey among Finnish dispensers.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- The content of patient counseling about interchangeable medicines and generic substitution in Finnish community pharmacies - a survey of dispensers.BMC health services research · 2019Article
- Use of generic medicines in Latvia: awareness, opinions and experiences of the population.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2019Article
- Drug Brand Response and Its Impact on Compliance and Efficacy in Depression Patients.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2016Article
- Swedish patients' trust in the bioequivalence of interchangeable generics. What factors are important for low trust?Pharmacy practiceArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGenerics have the potential to contain drug therapy costs; successful implementation of generic substitution policy largely depends on consumers' willingness to choose generics.
objectiveThis study aims to analyse the opinions, experiences and preferences of Polish patients towards generic medicines.
settingThe study was performed in Poland.
methodThe survey was conducted in June 2013 by means of face-to-face interviews. Respondents were drawn from the general population according to a population structure. The study covered a representative sample of 1,000 Poles; the results can be generalized to apply to the Polish population at large.
resultsFifty-two percent of respondents declared to be more often choosing generics, twenty-three percent did not have any specific preferences, and twenty-five percent were more willing to choose brand-name medicines. Past experience with cheaper generic medicines, secondary or lower education, low income and residence in specific regions of Poland were all significantly associated with an increased willingness to choose generics. Respondents' attitudes towards generics were mostly influenced by the opinions of doctors and pharmacists. According to respondents, attitudes towards generics among doctors, pharmacists, family and friends, and in the mass media were mostly positive. There was no relationship between the preference of respondents for generics and factors such as their age, life stage, gender, household size or urban/rural locality. As a result of substituting a brand-name drug with its generic equivalent, 72 % of respondents reported that they had not noticed any difference in drug effectiveness; 21 % had experienced a reduced effectiveness of treatment or increased side effects at least once; and 7 % claimed the generic worked better. The majority of respondents who used cheaper substitutes claimed that generics represented good or very good quality.
conclusionThe study demonstrates that, when choosing medicines, Poles rely mainly on the opinions of their doctors and pharmacists. Therefore, it is recommended that: (1) the option of using generics be promoted when writing prescriptions, and (2) the obligation on pharmacists to inform customers of their option to purchase generics be enforced.
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