ABSTRACT
This report has presented data about medicine-taking habits from the point of view of both the consumer and the general practitioner as prescriber. In these conclusions we try to bring the main findings of the study together and to consider the implications. In doing this we draw on data from other surveys and venture rather further into interpretation and speculation than we have done in other chapters. The main points emphasised are the changing threshold at which illness is recognised, the efficacy of medication, the role of self-medication, the function of repeat prescribing and the differences in the doctor’s and the patient’s perception of the role of medical care.
