Current Medicine-cabinets News Results

Medication taking behavior of students attending a private university in Bangladesh.

Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2009 Jul-Sep; 21(3): 361-70
Chowdhury N, Matin F, Chowdhury SF

The objective of this study was to investigate the patterns of self-reported medication use, including both prescription and OTC drugs, and to assess the possible predictors of self-medication and medication non-compliance (non-adherence), for 929 non-medical undergraduate students of the American International University, a private university situated in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Although a high proportion (69%, n = 644) of students of this university had fallen sick in the last six months before the study, the rate of visiting qualified health practitioners was much lower (53%). A good proportion of the sick students were reported to have practiced self-medication (16%, n = 100) and medication non-adherence (15%, n = 98). The average treatment cost involved in self medication was much lower than that offered by a qualified physician (Tk 463 vs Tk 2546 per case). Those students living with parents were more likely to have visited qualified health practitioners (56%, p < .05), and students whose families kept a well-stocked medicine cabinet at home were more likely to have completed the full course (39%, p < .05) of prescribed medicine. No significant difference was found in the rates of self medication and medication compliance incidence for variables like age groups, gender, residence status, financial level, engagement in part-time jobs etc. The study also showed that antimicrobials are widely available (170 incidents) in the home medicine cabinets of the Dhaka City population. The storage of leftover antibiotics in the home constitutes an alternative potential source of self-medication that can have untoward consequences. Further elaborate studies are required to reveal the true pattern of antibiotic usage in Bangladesh.

[Self-medication and the elderly. The reality of the home medicine cabinet]

Aten Primaria. 2009 May; 41(5): 269-74
Vacas Rodilla E, Castellà Dagà I, Sánchez Giralt M, Pujol Algué A, Pallarés Comalada MC, Balagué Corbera M

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of self-medication in the elderly, to describe the characteristics of self-medication and home medicine cabinets. DESIGN: Cross-sectional descriptive study. SETTING: An urban primary health care (PHC) centre in Spain. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 240 patients 75 years of age or older. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: A structured questionnaire filled in by home care nurses from April to June 2006. Self-medication was classified into 4 sub-groups: pharmacological or herbal, exclusively pharmacological, exclusively herbal and pharmacological and herbal. The study variables were: age, sex, living alone, number of chronic diseases, number of chronic prescriptions and medicine cabinet characteristics (drugs accumulation, expired drugs, chronic drugs out of prescription, location of medicine chest and periodic review). Other variables were: drug types, source, and acute/chronic reason for self-medication. RESULTS: Self-medication frequency was 31,2% (95% CI, 26-36), with 22.9% (95% CI, 17.5-27.5) being pharmacological and 15.4% (95% CI, 23.1-17.3), herbal. The drugs most used in self-medication were analgesics (30.9%) and cold remedies (27.2%). The pharmacy was the most usual source (49.3%). A total of 41.6% contained drugs that were out of chronic prescription, and 34.4% accumulated more than three boxes of the same medication. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant prevalence of self-medication among the elderly. Accumulating drugs in homes is a very extensive practice. Pharmacists and PHC professionals need to be trained in the responsible use of chronic and self-medication. Although self-care has to be encouraged, PHC professionals must make their patients aware of the harmful effects of self-medication.

[Evaluation of the pilot program of medicine dispensation in customized doses in Galicia [Spain]]

Gac Sanit. 2007 Jan-Feb; 21(1): 18-23; discussion 23-4
Pombo Romero J, Portela Romero M, Vizoso Hermida JR, Tasende Souto M

OBJECTIVE: To quantify, from an economic perspective, the results of the Pilot Program of Dispensation of Medicines in Unitary Dose in Galicia, Spain. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective study from 35,923 antibiotic prescriptions in customized doses corresponding to 5 active principles (amoxicillin, amoxicilin/clavulanic, claritromicin, cefuroxima axetil and ciprofloxacin). The program, which worked during 12 months, included 292 physicians from 46 units of primary care of the Galician Health Service and 167 offices of pharmacy. RESULTS: 60.57% of the prescribed treatments did not adjust exactly to the conventional presentations existing in the market. Savings in units of antibiotic of the dispensation in customized doses compared with the conventional one has been of 14.32%. Registered economic saving has been of 29.94%. The inclusion of 2 new presentations in amoxiciline and amoxiciline/clavulanic (of 15 and 21 tablets) and of one in the other 3 (cefuroxime and ciprofloxacin of 14 tablets and clarithromycin of 16) would avoid 86.5% of the leftover units without having to implement individualized dispensation. CONCLUSIONS: An important antibiotic stock is being generated in home medicine cabinets as a result of the leftovers of prescribed treatments that in the case of Galicia are equivalent to more than 1,800,000 doses of antibiotic in 2004. This problem could be reduced with the dispensation in customized dose and partially with new presentations.

[Inappropriate multiple medication and prescribing of drugs immobile elderly patients living in the community]

Aten Primaria. 2006 Nov 30; 38(9): 476-80
Gavilán Moral E, Morales Suárez-Varela MT, Hoyos Esteban JA, Pérez Suanes AM

OBJECTIVES: To ascertain and analyse the drug consumption of the immobile elderly, as well as the number of potentially inappropriate medications (PIM). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Fourteen rural primary care centres. PARTICIPANTS: Non-institutionalised immobile patients, older than 64 years were selected by systematic sampling. PRINCIPAL MEASUREMENTS: Review of patients' medicine cabinets and noting the daily doses and current number of drugs, as well as the origin of the prescription. Identification of PIM (Beers criteria). RESULTS: One-hundred forty-three homes visits were made. The mean age was 81.3+/-7.9 years, of whom 74.8% were women. The most common drugs were: analgesics (9.2%), antacids (7.1%), nitrites-calcium antagonists (6.5%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (5.0%), and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (4.7%). The percentage of patients who took more than 4 drugs was 76.1%. A PIM was taken by 35% of the elderly. The most common were: long-acting tranquilisers (41.5%), hypnotics (13.8%), digoxin (13.8%), indomethacin (7.7%), and antispasmodics (6.1%). In the majority of cases, the prescribing of the PIM was made by the family doctor (77.7%). Women took significantly more inappropriate drugs than men (0.50+/-0.72 vs to 0.25+/-0.50; P=.001) and those on multiple medication more than those not on multiple medication (0.50+/-0.73 vs 0.31+/-0.52; P=.008). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of inappropriate therapy in the immobile elderly is high, therefore an effort must be made to reduce it. Procedures directed towards increasing the quality of prescribing could improve the state of health and quality of life of these patients.

The general picture of supportive health environments for persons with intellectual disabilities among 121 disability welfare institutions in Taiwan.

J Intellect Disabil Res. 2006 Jan; 50(Pt 1): 25-32
Lin JD, Yen CF, Loh CH, Chwo MJ, Lee JT, Wu JL, Chu CM, Tang CC

BACKGROUND: Little information is available on the provision of supportive health environments for persons with intellectual disabilities (ID) in institutions. The aim of this study was to present an overview of supportive environments for health in institutions in Taiwan. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to examine the perceptions of 121 Taiwanese Institutional Directors on their setting's implementation of supportive healthy physical, social, and economic environments. RESULTS: Analyses showed that first-aid kits (97.5%) and medicine cabinets (85.5%) were the most common health facilities in institutions. Seventy-three per cent of institutions had set up specific areas to be used for rehabilitation practice, while only 43.1% thought their rehabilitation equipment/devices adequate for their real needs. Eighty-eight per cent of institutions implemented health promotion plans for people with ID, while 76.6% had appropriated specific health promotion plans. Sixty-three institutions (52.1%) reported employment of skilled nurses to serve people with ID, and these institutions showed statistically significant differences in implementation of each health facility. CONCLUSIONS: The present paper is the first to analyze supportive environments for health in disability institutions in Taiwan. An important focus of future research will be the extension of the present findings to consider the appropriateness of each area of supportive environments for improving the quality of institutional care for people with ID.

Mercury in the environment: sources, toxicities, and prevention of exposure.

Pediatr Ann. 2004 Jul; 33(7): 437-42
Johnson CL

Acute and chronic exposure to mercury can significantly affect the health of a population, specifically the children. Methylmercury may pose the highest threat, as it is ubiquitous in the environment and it is a potent neurotoxicant. Methylmercury easily passes through the placenta to the developing fetus. Elemental mercury, or quicksilver, also poses a threat to children because it may be found readily in schools, hospitals, and medicine cabinets, and its intriguing liquid nature may be enticing to children. Pediatricians must be diligent in informing patients of possible exposure sources, and alerting them to new government advisories and recommendations. They should also be knowledgeable regarding classic clinical presentations of mercury toxicity. It is only in cases involving a knowledge of mercury that appropriate historical information is obtained and correct diagnoses are made. Preventing mercury exposure and consequent toxicity is of importance because therapies are controversial and long-term consequences may be significant.

Using home gardens to decipher health and healing in the Andes.

Med Anthropol Q. 2003 Dec; 17(4): 459-82
Finerman R, Sackett R

Home gardens are a pervasive component of Andean agricultural systems, but have been ignored in anthropological and agronomic research. Recent research in the indigenous community of Saraguro, Ecuador, employed a combination of in-depth interviews, free-listing, videotaped walk-throughs, and mapping to explore the role of home gardens, which are established and controlled by women. Findings reveal that, although gardens offer multiple benefits, they are overwhelmingly devoted to the cultivation of medicinal plants, operating as de facto medicine cabinets that supply women with most of the resources they need to treat family illnesses. Results also suggest that the natural history of home gardens mirrors transformations within the family, and that Saraguro women study the contents of their neighbors' gardens, using this knowledge as a foundation for deciphering the owners' economic and health status. New threats to the sustainability of home gardens threaten the foundation of Saraguro's ethnomedical system and women's authority in the home and community.

The inventory of antibiotics in Russian home medicine cabinets.

Clin Infect Dis. 2003 Aug 15; 37(4): 498-505
Stratchounski LS, Andreeva IV, Ratchina SA, Galkin DV, Petrotchenkova NA, Demin AA, Kuzin VB, Kusnetsova ST, Likhatcheva RY, Nedogoda SV, Ortenberg EA, Belikov AS, Toropova IA

The objective of this study was to inventory the stock of antimicrobials in the home medicine cabinets (HMCs) of the general population in Russia and to find out for which indications people report that they would use antibiotics without a physician's recommendation. The research was performed in 9 Russian cities by physicians who visited households. An inventory of antibiotics in HMCs was made, and respondents were asked about instances in which they would choose automedication with antibiotics. We found that 83.6% of families had antibiotics for systemic use in HMCs. The most common antibiotics in HMCs were trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (46.3% of HMCs), ampicillin (45.1%), chloramphenicol (32.7%), erythromycin (25.5%), and tetracycline (21.8%). The major indications for automedication with antibiotics were acute viral respiratory tract infections (12.3% of total indications), cough (11.8%), intestinal disorders (11.3%), fever (9%), and sore throat (6.8%). According to this study, antibiotics are widely stocked among the general population in Russia, and people use antibiotics in an uncontrolled and imprudent manner.

The active principle of garlic at atomic resolution.

J Biol Chem. 2002 Nov 29; 277(48): 46402-7
Kuettner EB, Hilgenfeld R, Weiss MS

Despite the fact that many cultures around the world value and utilize garlic as a fundamental component of their cuisine as well as of their medicine cabinets, relatively little is known about the plant's protein configuration that is responsible for the specific properties of garlic. Here, we report the three-dimensional structure of the garlic enzyme alliinase at 1.5 A resolution. Alliinase constitutes the major protein component in garlic bulbs, and it is able to cleave carbon-sulfur bonds. The active enzyme is a pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent homodimeric glycoprotein and belongs to the class I family of pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent enzymes. In addition, it contains a novel epidermal growth factor-like domain that makes it unique among all pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent enzymes.

Hospital drug distribution systems in the UK and Germany--a study of medication errors.

Pharm World Sci. 1999 Feb; 21(1): 25-31
Taxis K, Dean B, Barber N

The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of medication errors and the stages of the drug distribution system at which they occur in a United Kingdom (UK) hospital using the ward pharmacy system, a German hospital using the unit dose system and a German hospital using their traditional system. Medication errors were identified by observing the preparation and administration of regularly scheduled solid oral medication. In the UK hospital using the ward pharmacy system, the medication error rate was 8.0% (95% confidence interval 6.2-9.8%). The majority of these errors occurred at the stage of medication administration. In the hospital using the traditional German system, the error rate was 5.1% (4.4-5.8%). With the German unit dose system, the error rate was 2.4% (2.0-2.8%). In both German systems the errors were mainly attributable to the stage of transcription. It was noted that patient turnover was much higher in the wards using the ward pharmacy system and therefore the study sites may not be comparable. However, recommendations can be made in order to reduce the error rate associated with each system. Errors associated with the ward pharmacy system may be reduced if medication is stored in individual patient medicine cabinets and patients' own drugs used. Errors occurring with the traditional system and the unit dose system may be reduced if the original prescription is used for medication administration.

Paracetamol poisoning.

Accid Emerg Nurs. 1998 Jan; 6(1): 43-4
MacConnachie AM

Paracetamol is a common cause of fatal self-poisoning in the UK every year. Despite this, it continues to be sold freely without medical supervision and can be found in quantity in most household medicine cabinets.

Paracetamol poisoning.

Intensive Crit Care Nurs. 1997 Aug; 13(4): 238-9
MacConnachie AM

Paracetamol is a common cause of fatal self-poisoning in the UK every year. Despite this, it continues to be sold freely without medical supervision and can be found in quantity in most household medicine cabinets.

[Too large supplies in medicine cabinets of the elderly. Prescription- and discount-systems should be revised]

Lakartidningen. 1996 Mar 6; 93(10): 912, 915-6
Skogsberg U, Hedner J, Carlsson G, Johnsson B, Westergren M

Self-medication among university students in Hong Kong.

Asia Pac J Public Health. 1995; 8(3): 153-7
Lau GS, Lee KK, Luk CT

Five hundred and sixty-three university students were interviewed to survey the practice of self-medication which was found to be very prevalent (94.0%). The most commonly used items included remedies for cough and cold, antipyretics and analgesics. Topical preparations and Chinese herbal medicines were also frequently consumed. Self-medication items were mostly obtained from home medicine cabinets and pharmacy shops (not necessarily staffed by registered pharmacists) and they also relied heavily on family members and previous illness experience for information on the medications they took. The healthcare professionals only played a minor role in the provision of drug information. Nevertheless, the concept of self-medication is well-established among these university students as they recognised that minor illness could be cared for without seeing a doctor. Healthcare professionals should assume more active roles in the provision of drug information and counselling so that a good self-care programme could be established.

Five things you should know about medicine cabinets.

Nursing. 1995 Jan; 25(1): 29
Gillespie JL, Brehio R

[Use and disposal of drugs at home. Experiences of a community campaign for drug collection]

Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 1992 May 10; 112(12): 1605-7
Wold G, Hunskår S

We carried out a campaign to encourage return of medicines stored in private homes. 248 out of 1,512 households in our district returned average ten containers of drugs. 90% of these had been opened before return. Three out of four containers were outdated. A questionnaire was sent to all 1,512 households. 33% responded. All but six households kept medicines at home. An average of nine products were stored in each home. Half of the products were non-prescription drugs. Half of the households had medicine cabinets. The kitchen was the room most often used to store medicines. We discuss various efforts to achieve more simple return of unwanted drugs. We must emphasize the need to store medicines at home in a safe place.

Self-medication among secondary school pupils in Hong Kong: a descriptive study.

Fam Pract. 1989 Dec; 6(4): 303-6
Tse MH, Chung JT, Munro JG

A self-completion questionnaire was used to survey self-medication among secondary school pupils in Hong Kong. Data were collected from 4793 pupils aged 10 to 23 years (55.9% female and 44.1% male). Nearly three quarters (72.1%) had taken self-medication without consulting a medical practitioner and 51.8% of the sample had done so without the knowledge of older family members. The prevalence of self-medication increased with age. More than half the pupils (50.4%) indicated that trivial illness did not warrant a consultation with a doctor. Information relating to the sources of self-administered drugs, types of drugs used and sources of information about these drugs was collected. Medicine cabinets at home and pharmacy shops were the two most common places from which the pupils obtained their drugs. Though the prevalence of taking tranquillizers and sleeping tablets was found to be low, the probability of young people, especially boys, obtaining dangerous drugs from these places should not be overlooked. The medical, nursing and teaching professions should take a more active role in health education, as the sources from which the pupils obtained their drug knowledge, in descending order of frequency, were: family members, previous illness experience, pharmacy shops, doctor or nurse, television or radio, newspapers or magazines, friends and teachers.

[PROVISION OF MEDICINES IN THE MEDICINE CABINETS OF THE MOBILE FIRST AID STATIONS.]

Clin Eur. 1963 Jul-Aug; 15: 331-7
SAGNA PA