Katharina Schmalstieg-Bahr
University Medical Center Gottingen, Germany
Title: What makes out-of-pocket prescriptions for benzodiazepines and Z-drugs so attractive
Biography
Biography: Katharina Schmalstieg-Bahr
Abstract
Purpose: In Germany, almost every second prescription for benzodiazepines and Z-drugs is issued as an out-of-pocket prescription (“private prescription”). These prescriptions have to be funded by the patient, although almost 90% of the population has statutory health insurance (SHI) that covers medication costs. The purpose of this study is to understand why primary care physicians (PCPs) choose out-of-pocket prescriptions since a needed medication would be covered by the SHI and an unnecessary medication should not be given at all.
Methods: In this qualitative study, 17 semi-structured interviews with a regional sample of PCPs were conducted, audiorecorded,
and transcribed verbatim. Grounded theory was used to analyze the interviews and to develop a theoretical model to explain the PCPs’ behavior (“coding paradigm”: see image).