[The long-term treatment card from the user's viewpoint].

OBJECTIVE

To find the user's opinion of the long-term treatment card (LTC) as against repeat prescriptions from a medical clinic, the time employed on administration and information received on the use of the LTC. Criticisms and suggestions were gathered.

DESIGN

Crossover, by means of questionnaires filled in by the subjects.

SETTING

Almozara Health Centre, Zaragoza.

PATIENTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS

397 valid questionnaires given out to LTC users. The Primary Care team.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The LTC was preferred to a clinical prescription by 88% of those surveyed. 79% considered that they needed less time to obtain their prescriptions by using the LTC. 10% had difficulties in obtaining their treatment; 36% of them due to problems involving the collection/delivery timetable. 38% demanded the right to have medication included in the LTC: either at their own wish (18%), in the view of other INSALUD doctors (11%) or of any other medical officer (9%). 25% did not feel they were sufficiently informed.

CONCLUSIONS

The LTC is very widely accepted. Information on its use and functioning should be improved, with special emphasis on the inclusion of medication solely by the General Practitioner concerned. The criticisms collected, such as insufficient control of lengthy treatments or adverse side-effects, support the view that quality controls of the LTC are needed.