Survey: most Aussies buy prescription medication more than 12 times a year

An independent consumer survey today revealed the length to which Australians rely on prescription medication, with 52% of respondents buying or refilling the products more than 12 times a year.

“We were surprised by the high level of prescription medication use shown by the survey. Interestingly, we saw males were more likely (52%) to buy or refill their prescriptions more than 12 times a year than females (48%),” said CANSTAR CANNEX’s Head of Research Steve Mickenbecker.

“Not surprisingly, baby boomer respondents were the generation most likely to use prescription medication at this level (64%). However, a significant percentage of the younger generations were also frequent users of prescription medication, with 35% of Generation Y respondents and 39% of Generation X respondents buying or refilling prescription medication more than 12 times a year.”

This follows a study released recently by Pfizer which showed less than a third of people adopt other healthy habits when taking prescription medication to manage their health condition.

Endeavour College of Health Director of Education Nick Vardaxis said too many Australians depend soley on medication to solve their health issues.

“Prescription medication has a strong place in the health equation, but Australians should also consider how much diet and exercise can help alleviate, and sometimes cure, their symptoms,” said Dr Vardaxis.

The Canstar Blue survey showed 1 in 10 Australians surveyed have experienced an adverse reaction to prescription medication in the past 12 months.

“This is a significant health issue, with an estimated 200,000 hospital admissions in Australia each year attributed to prescription medication,” said Mr Mickenbecker.

The results showed 13% of Australians surveyed buy a portion of their pharmacy products online. Generation Y respondents were significantly more likely (19%) to buy online than those from any other generation.

A tiny 3% of respondents buy all their pharmacy products online.

The independent Canstar Blue consumer satisfaction survey also revealed pharmacy brand Chemmart beat its competitors by coming out on top with most satisfied customers.

Customers scored Chemmart top marks for the categories of overall satisfaction, service, range, availability of pharmacists and advice provided. Chemist Warehouse was voted top by its customers for price.

Most Common Pharmacy Gripes

• Pharmacy cluttered inside with excessive shelving and product ranges
• Impersonal service and uninformed staff
• Lack of privacy to discuss medical conditions and ailments
• Long waiting times to speak with the pharmacist and for prescriptions to be prepared.

Canstar Blue, a new initiative of CANSTAR CANNEX, commissions Colmar Brunton to survey 2,500 Australian consumers across a range of categories every few months to measure and track customer satisfaction. Chemmart today received the Most Satisfied Customers Award for Pharmacies.

The outcomes reported are the results from pharmacy customers within the survey group. To qualify, the customer has to have purchased from the pharmacy within the last 12 months.
“We launched Canstar Blue to give Australians a free online resource to help them with their key purchasing decisions by making it simple for them to learn from the experiences of other consumers. It is essentially a guide to product excellence as voted by customers,” Mr Mickenbecker said.

The independent survey was undertaken in conjunction with professional market researchers, Colmar Brunton.

The full Canstar Blue results are available at www.canstarblue.com.au.

Media enquiries: Nina Tovey on 0410 849 818 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

About Canstar Blue:

Canstar Blue was launched in July 2010 by CANSTAR CANNEX, Australia and New Zealand’s premier researcher of retail finance information for more than 350 institutions across the finance sector. Canstar Blue will release regular surveys to measure and track Australian consumer satisfaction to help consumers make the best purchasing decisions for their needs. Canstar Blue customers are encouraged to use the database for competitor analysis as well as a means of disseminating their product range.

What are the Canstar Blue ratings?

Canstar Blue researches, compares and rates the suite of products according to customer satisfaction across categories including banking, domestic airlines, telecommunications, cars, electronic retailers and plasma and LCD TVs. Results are freely available to consumers who are encouraged to use the ratings as a guide to product excellence. The use of similar ratings logos also builds consumer recognition of quality products across all categories. Please access the Canstar Blue website at www.canstarblue.com.au if you would like to view the latest ratings reports of interest.

RATINGS: Most Satisfied Customers – Pharmacies