Abstract
Criteria that influence pharmacists' decisions to stock generic pharmaceuticals and criteria that influence pharmacists' decisions to recommend generic pharmaceuticals to patients were examined. The sample consisted of 298 Ohio independent community pharmacy owners or managers. Data were collected by mail questionnaires. Questions pertained to background information about each participating pharmacy and respondent, criteria used in stocking generic pharmaceuticals, and criieria used in recommending generic pharmaceuticals to patients. Economic considerations, the of generic pharmaceuticals, the generic distributor and the manufacturer, and the therapeutic class of the brand-name product influenced pharmacists' decisions to stock generic pharmaceuticals. Third-party programs, physicians, and patients influenced pharmacists' decisions to recommend generic pharmaceuticals to patients.