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KMID : 0353019740110010001
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Korean Journal of Public Health
1974 Volume.11 No. 1 p.1 ~ p.8
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A Survey on Utilization of Drug Stores in Seoul
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Abstract
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In order to study the utilization status of pharmaceuticals purchased from some of the pharmacies in Seoul as of the end of August 1973, surveys were conducted during the seven-day period of September 3 to 9, 1973 on a total of 696 clients of 24 selected pharmacies which were regionally sampled from among the total of 4,243 pharmacies in Seoul. Through the analysis of the resultant data, the following conclusions have been reached :
1. The surveyed clients of pharmacies were broken down by age into 27.2 percent for the 20∼29 year group and 22.8 percent for the 30∼39 year group, thereby constituting 49.9 percent or nearly half for the young age groups of 20 to 39 years.
2. By education, the clients were broken down into 28.8 percent for the high school group (comprising both graduates and enrolling student), 21.7 percent for the middle school group, 15.9 percent for the college group, 12.2 percent for the primary group, 11.1 percent for the illiterate group, and 10.3 percent for people barely able to read Korean alphabet.
3. The middle school group and higher educational groups constituted 59.6 percent in downtown areas, and 56.4 percent in commercial areas. The general educational standard of pharmacy clients was thus far higher in downtown areas than that in residential and commercial areas.
4. Antifebriles and anodynes constituted 20.7 percent of all the pharmaceuticals purchased by the clients from pharmacies, antibiotics 19.4 percent, miscellaneous preparations 17.1 percent, and gastroenteric preparation 14.9 percent. The clients thus used more antifebriles and anodynes than any other kind of pharmaceuticals.
5. Antibiotic resistance is a serious menace to public health in this country. Antibiotic users were broken down by age into 24.2 percent for the 20∼29 year group and 19.5 percent for the 30∼39 year group. Young people, 20 to 39 years of age, thus occupied 53.7 percent or more than half of all the antibiotic users.
6. The middle school group and higher educational groups constituted 71.0 percent of all the patent medicine users and 58.8 percent of all the dispensed medicine users. Depending on educational standard, a significant difference was noted statistically of the utilization ratio of patent medicine and dispensed medicine between the middle school and higher educational groups and the lower educational groups (p<0.005).
7. As for the utilization ratios of patent medicine and dispensed medicine by category of location of pharmacy, the dispensed medicine purchased from pharmacies in residential areas constituted 66.7 percent of that from all the pharmacies surveyed. That was slightly higher a ratio than 55.5 percent for patent medicine purchased in the same areas. Corresponding ratios in downtown areas were 34.1 percent for patent medicine and 20.8 percent for dispensed medicine. In commercial areas, almost no difference was noted of utilization ratio between dispensed medicine and patent medicine.
On the basis of the above results, the following measures are recommended ;
1. Due to the asyet unadopted professional division of medicine and pharmacy, anyone can freely purchase both patent medicine and dispensed medicine from pharmacy in this country without doctor´s prescription. The incorrect and excessive use of various pharmaceuticals bring forth particularly, the abusive use of antibiotics a grave problem. In view of this situation, the professional division of medicine and pharmacy is of imminent necessity.
2. Due to exaggerated advertisement of various pharmaceuticals through mass-communications media, ordinary citizens tend to use pharmaceuticals by their own judgement rather than by doctor´s prescription or pharmacist´s instructions. That increases the possibility of erroneous or abusive use of pharmaceuticals. Therefore, the advertisement of pharmaceuticals should be confined to profossionals rather than conducted towards the general public.
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