[A quality study of self-medication in acute respiratory infection in a population utilizing an urban health center].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the quality of drugs use by patients when these were not prescribed by physicians.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey, observational.


METHODS
La Victoria Health Centre in the urban area of Valladolid.


METHODS
A survey was made of all patients who consulted their family practitioner about an acute respiratory infection during a three month period. The patients were classified according to the seriousness of their diagnosis, the time elapsed before consulting the doctor, the kind of medication and the source of it was evaluated and also the quality of the prescription with relation to the source.


RESULTS
508 patients were studied, 61.4% women and 38.6% men, 57.9% of the total sample were on self-medication before they went to their physician (53.6% of men and 60.6% of women). The most common source of self-medication was "self-pharmacy" in the case of 59.9% and the kind of medication most commonly taken was the antipyretic-analgesic group (in 42.9% cases). The quality evaluation of self-medication was considered correct in 63% of self-medicated patients, no significant difference was found between the quality of self-medication and the source of it.


CONCLUSIONS
The high prevalence of self-medication in the general population, with the high rates of accurate use and the small percentages of adverse drug reactions, would lead us to think about of promoting self-medication and including it in specific educational health programs.
Gil Alvarez
J
J
Centro de Salud La Victoria, Valladolid. jgilalva@teleline.es
Ponce Ortega
A
A
Herreros Herranz
I
I
Sanz de la Fuente
T
T
Bártulos
A
A
Morales Rodríguez
P
P
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012651:Self Medication / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013030:Spain; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
Estudio sobre la calidad de la automedicación en infección respiratoria aguda de la población demandante en un centro de salud urbano.