Abstract:
Purpose:
This study's major goal is to investigate how drug pricing regulations affect patients' access
to prescription drugs in Karachi, Pakistan, as well as how patients' awareness and
understanding of these regulations affect their medication use and health outcomes.
Methodology & Design:
The methodology includes convenience sampling, a structural equation modelling design, an
explanatory type, and a quantitative (deductive) approach.
Findings:
According to the study, patient access to prescription drugs is significantly impacted by
drug pricing policies, and patient awareness and knowledge of drug pricing policies played
a mediating role.
Limitations:
The study had some drawbacks, such as the use of a cross-sectional design, which restricted
the capacity to establish temporal causation between the variables. The use of self-reported
data, which would have exposed respondents to social desirability bias or recall bias, was
another drawback. It would be preferable to use pharmacy records or health insurance
claims as a more impartial indicator of patient access to prescription drugs. The context-
specific nature of drug pricing rules and patient access to prescription pharmaceuticals in a
poor nation may have further restricted the generalizability of the findings.
Recommendations:
The study advised that policymakers establish and execute drug pricing policies that
support fair prices and cost-effective interventions. The study suggested that health
practitioners raise patient understanding of drug price regulations and how they affect
patients' access to prescription drugs. The study suggested that patients want improved
high-quality medications and make educated decisions regarding their
access to
pharmaceutical use.
