Struggling to afford medicines: a qualitative exploration of the experiences of participants in the FreeMeds study.

Introduction: Existing research has established that some people struggle with prescription charges. This paper reports on the experiences of a sub-sample of people who participated in the FreeMeds study (a randomised controlled trial of prescription charges) about their problems paying for medicines. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore participants' previous experiences with paying for medicines, and the impact of receiving free medicines through the Free Meds study. Method: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 23 people (21 were available for analysis), purposefully selected from the 1061 participants in the FreeMeds trial. Trial participants had to live in an area of high socio-economic deprivation (NZDep 7–10), either take medicines for diabetes and/or take anti-psychotics and/or have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Transcripts were analysed thematically. Results: Prior to being enrolled in the study, prescription charges were an important issue for many of the participants, who faced multiple health challenges. Some reported having to go without medicines until they could afford them, and many reported having to make hard choices, such as choosing which of their medicines to pick up, or choosing between medicines and other expenses like food. Echoing the quantitative results from the trial, some participants reported previous hospitalisations because of their inability to pay for and hence take, their medicines. Few participants had discussed the affordability of medicines with their doctor. Participants reported that being exempted (through the FreeMeds trial) had reduced their stress and allowed them to afford medicines they would normally have gone without. Discussion: The study supports the government's decision to eliminate prescription charges, to remove one barrier to health and wellbeing for people facing significant disadvantages. What is known about the topic: Even small prescription charges can prevent people from accessing medicines they need, leading to increased use of other health services. The FreeMeds randomised controlled trial found that eliminating $5 prescription charges led to a reduction in hospital use. What this research adds: This paper provides some of the human stories of participants in the FreeMeds study. Many reported having to make changes to how they took their medicines or making choices between obtaining their medicines or other essentials. Some reported hospitalisations due to inability to afford medicines. Few participants had discussed their inability to afford medicines with their general practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]