Agia Barbara Health Care Center, Venizelion Hospital, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
Eur J Gen Pract. 2012 Mar;18(1):3-8. doi: 10.3109/13814788.2011.604674. Epub 2011 Aug 31.
Patients often have multiple chronic diseases, use multiple prescriptions and over the counter medications resulting in polypharmacy. Many of them store these medications for future use in their homes, rather than take them as directed by their physician, resulting in a waste of health care resources, and potentially dangerous misuse.
This study aimed to investigate the magnitude of medication home hoarding, the exchange of medication with family/friends, families' beliefs about the medication use, source of medication, pharmaceutical class, cost of stored medicine and conditions of storage.
A structured questionnaire was administered within the homes in two rural areas in Crete.
Forty families participated in the study including 85 individual household members (36 men, and 49 women with an average age of 56.5 ± 24.3 mean ± SD). There were a total of 557 medications recorded, with 324 different medications representing a total value of €8954. The mean quantity of medication boxes stored in each home was 8.5 ± 5.8. Cardiovascular medications accounted for 56% of medications for current use; whereas analgesics (24%), and antibiotics (17%), were the most medications being stored for future use. Exchange of medicine was very common (95%). Beliefs that 'more expensive medication is more effective', and that 'over the counter medications are safe because they were easily available' were expressed.
Medications are being stored in large quantities in these rural areas, with a large percentage of them being wasted or misused.
患者通常患有多种慢性疾病，使用多种处方和非处方药物，导致多种药物并用。他们中的许多人将这些药物储存在家中以备将来使用，而不是按照医生的指示服用，从而浪费了医疗资源，并可能导致潜在的危险误用。
本研究旨在调查药物在家中囤积的程度、与家人/朋友交换药物的情况、家庭对药物使用的看法、药物来源、药物类型、储存药物的成本和储存条件。
在克里特岛的两个农村地区的家庭中进行了一项结构化问卷调查。
共有 40 个家庭参与了研究，包括 85 名个体家庭成员（36 名男性和 49 名女性，平均年龄为 56.5 ± 24.3 岁）。共记录了 557 种药物，其中 324 种不同的药物代表了 8954 欧元的总价值。每个家庭平均储存的药物盒数为 8.5 ± 5.8。心血管药物占当前使用药物的 56%；而镇痛药（24%）和抗生素（17%）是储存最多的未来用药。药物交换非常普遍（95%）。表达了“更昂贵的药物更有效”和“非处方药因为容易获得所以更安全”的信念。
在这些农村地区，大量的药物被储存起来，其中很大一部分被浪费或误用。
