Assessment of the availability of medicines for patients with mental and behavioral disorders according to the results of a survey of physicians and pharmacists in Ukraine
Authors: Nemchenko Alla , Lyadenko Anna , Nemchenko Olesia , Lebed Serhii 
Published: July 2023

The aim: to analyze the results of a questionnaire survey of secondary care physicians and pharmacy pharmacists, participants of the government program "Affordable Medicines" (hereinafter the Program) regarding the assessment of the availability of medicines for patients with mental and behavioural disorders.
Materials and methods: in the research process, legal acts, protocols for the treatment of patients with mental and behavioural disorders, the results of a questionnaire survey of doctors and pharmacists - participants of the Program, scientific publications related to questionnaires of doctors and pharmacists on the topics of generic drug replacement and co-payment were used patients. The research was conducted using the methods of questionnaire survey, systematization and generalization of data.
Research results: 134 doctors and 336 pharmacists from 22 regions of Ukraine took part in the questionnaire survey. According to the results of the survey, it was established that doctors of 11 specialties prescribe medicinal products (pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of patients with mental and behavioural disorders with depressive disorders. Most patients with this disease turn to a secondary care physician without visiting a primary care physician, which negatively affects the availability of medicines for patients, as well as the reliability of statistical indicators of the prevalence and incidence of patients with depressive disorders.
The main problem affecting the availability of drugs for patients with depressive disorders is the lack of drugs in the Program in the presence of the corresponding INN in the Unified Clinical Protocol of primary, secondary (specialized) and tertiary (highly specialized) medical care "Depression", which forces patients to buy drugs on their own cost, and as a result, it leads to a decrease in the availability of medicines for vulnerable sections of the population under the conditions of the war in Ukraine.
As for the issue of generic replacement of drugs according to the results of the questionnaire: 72.4 % of doctors believe that such replacement can only be carried out by a specialist doctor, while 67.9 % of pharmacists confirmed that they carry out generic replacement of prescribed drugs in case of their absence in pharmacies 76.1 % of doctors and 80.6 % of pharmacists support the need for regulatory and legal settlement of the issue of generic drug replacement in order to increase their access and availability for patients. 74.4 % of the surveyed pharmacists confirmed the desire of patients to receive medicines free of charge due to the Program.
Conclusions: The results of the conducted questionnaire survey of doctors and pharmacists showed the importance of the regulatory settlement of issues regarding drug prescriptions under INN, generic substitution of drugs and patient co-payment, as all the listed mechanisms have an impact on increasing the availability of drugs for patients with mental and behavioural disorders. The obtained results also indicate the need to conduct a questionnaire in the future to evaluate the work of the Program and the changes that affect the work of all project participants