查看文章

BACKGROUND: Community pharmacies vary widely in terms of ownership structures, location, and dispensing policies. It is unknown if an association exists between the type of community pharmacy and the degree of medication adherence exhibited by patrons-patients.

OBJECTIVE: To describe adherence to statin therapy among subjects patronizing different types of community pharmacy categories (department-mass merchandise, chain-franchise, and independent-banner) in Saskatchewan, Canada, between 2000 and 2005.

METHODS: Study data were obtained from the Saskatchewan Drug Plan and Extended Benefits database, which is maintained by the government of Saskatchewan, Canada. The study included all subjects who (a) filled a statin prescription within selected community pharmacies between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2005; (b) had no record of statin prescriptions during the year …