title: Drug utilization and health behaviours among indigent elderly patients in Crete, Greece.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine pharmaceutical needs, prescribed drugs, knowledge about pharmacotherapy and health behaviours among Social Care indigent elderly patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  There were a total of 551 Social Care indigent patients registers in Chania, Crete, Greece at the time of the study (1995-97), of whom 89 (40 men and 49 women) were elderly patients (> or =65 years old). The control group comprised 171 (81 men and 90 women) Social Security insured elderly patients (> or =65 years old).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The socio-demographic profile of the indigent elderly patients reveals an unemployment rate of 99% (versus 5% in the control group, P<0.05) and an illiteracy rate of 38% (versus 5%, P<0.05). The most commonly prescribed defined daily doses (DDD) of medications were cardiovascular drugs (45.0% indigent versus 48.3%) and nervous system drugs (14.4% versus 8.8%). The most frequently prescribed drug, as a percentage of DDD, was nitroglycerin (14.5% versus 26.0%) and the most expensive drug, expressed as a percentage of the total cost of drugs, was omeprazole (6.5% versus 4.6%). The most common disease was hypertension (42.1% versus 23.2%, P<0.05). There were also significant differences between the two groups of patients (P<0.05) in the understanding of drug usage instructions (35.4% versus 68.6%), in asking the pharmacist for advice (44.6% versus 71.5%) and in understanding special diet instructions (18.7% versus 34.7%). Regarding the health behavior patterns, significant differences (P<0.05) were found in the consumption of sausages (38.6% versus 15.6%), salt (29.8% versus 12.0%), more than one glass per day of alcoholic drinks (13.8% versus 4.3%) and in daily smoking cigarettes (48.8% indigent versus 12.8% control).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study emphasizes the need for more information on drug use and the necessity for a continuing health educational intervention among Social Care indigent elderly patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Services, Chania General Hospital St. George, Chania, Crete, Greece. tzimis@usa.net
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tzimis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kafatos