1 eFigure 1. Semi-Structured Interview Guide
Thank you for taking the time to help us understand why parents give medications from other countries to children. We want to learn about what makes parents choose imported medications as compared to medications from the United States (US). I will be asking questions only about the child that is being seen in the Emergency Department right now; please answer the questions regarding this child only.
Overall
• Tell me about the time you gave your child a medication brought in from outside of the US Medical Care
• Does your child have a regular doctor in the US?
• Have you taken your child to get medical care outside of the US? Tell me more about that.
• Are there any circumstances you would take your child to get medical care outside of the US over seeking care in the US?
• Does your child have health insurance in the US? In another country?
Obtaining Foreign Medications
• Now let’s talk about medications. Tell me about the last time your child took medication that was purchased or obtained from another country.
• What were the reasons for using the medications from another country instead of those obtained from the US?
• Did a doctor prescribe your child the medications from another country? If no, tell me how you obtained these medications.
• Were these medications prescription medications (for example: antibiotics), medications that can be obtained over the counter, or traditional (herbal) treatments?
• Please tell me about the process of obtaining these medications. (prompts: did you visit a physician, consult with a pharmacist, recommended by family, or visit a healer?)
• If obtained at a pharmacy, did you have any issues getting these medications from a pharmacy?
If yes, please tell me what those issues are.
• Have you faced issues with health insurance covering costs of prescription medications in another country?
o If so, please tell me more about the most recent issues.
o Have you faced a similar problem in the US?
• Has your child ever taken a medication from another country that was not prescribed to your child? If yes, please tell me more about the last time this happened. (prompts: what were the circumstances, symptoms of illness?)
• Have you ever purchased medication manufactured from another country within the US? If yes, where and when did this happen?
Medication Perceptions
• Do you tell your regular doctor who treat your child when you give your child medicine from outside the US? If no, why not?
• Have your child’s doctors asked you specifically about usage of medications coming from outside the US?
2
• Has your child’s doctors ever asked you to stop giving medicine from outside the US? If yes, what were the reasons they gave you to stop giving them?
• Has your child ever had a negative outcome or bad reaction from a medicine obtained from outside the US? If yes, what happened?
• What are your thoughts about medicine from outside the US as compared to medications obtained from the US?
• Do you have any concerns with medications from another country? If so, what are they?
Open Ended Input
Do you have any other thoughts you would like to share about medications obtained from another country?
