The Use of Medication by the Spanish Population

✍ Scribed by M. Carmen Del Rio; Carlos Prada; F. Javier Alvarez

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 203 KB
• Volume: 6
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1053-8569
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-1557(199701)6:1<41::aid-pds250>3.0.co;2-6

✦ Synopsis

The aim of the study was to assess patterns of the use of medicines by the general population older than 0 years. The study was based on the information contained in the computerized database from the 1993 Spanish Household Health Survey. A representative sample of the population older than 0 was identi-®ed, and a survey of 26,334 persons was carried out. Of the population 45.3% had taken some medicine in the last 2 weeks prior to the carrying out of the survey. The proportion was greater for women (50.6%) than for men (39.6%). With increasing age, the frequency and amount of medication use increased. A little over 20% of the medicines used were not prescribed by a doctor (self-medication). Data show the frequency of the use of medicines by the Spanish population.