Using Narrative to Explore Consumer Confusion with Generic Medicines

The experiences of consumers and pharmacists regarding generic medicinesubstitution in Australia, Italy and Finland are explored using narrative and metaphor.Consumer confusion; suspicion; annoyance; and exasperation are identified, alongwith pharmacists' experiences of professional challenge and frustration in offeringconsumers generic substitutes. The study evidences that doctors, pharmacists, andconsumers are co-creators in a service network, but that co-operative behaviour isoften absent, resulting in confusion and potential disadvantage to the end user. Itsuggests that to reduce consumer confusion and increase the acceptance of genericsubstitution, co-operation and open dialogue involving all the participants of thisservice network is critical, along with specific strategies to address the confusion.