| Factors leading to increased prescription requests |
Patients stockpiling Doctors prescribing more Realising inhalers were out of date Requesting new treatment for fear of being admitted to hospital during the pandemic Belief that asthma treatment could be used to treat COVID-19 symptoms Original treatment being out of stock Request of multiple prescriptions to avoid prescription charge Beliefs about reduced dose towards end of use of inhalers Buying extra inhalers owing to difficulty with tracking remaining doses without counters
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| Concerns towards lack of and/or change in treatment |
Deterioration of medical condition Healthcare professionals not being aware of the shortage Pharmacies not having patients’ interests at heart
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| Patients’ and healthcare professionals’ strategies to deal with lack of or change in treatment |
Change of treatment Contacting healthcare providers, out-of-hours health care, pharmacies, online pharmacies, and private healthcare services Individually driven check of asthma medication shortages Keeping track of doses when canisters have no counter
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