Patterns of drug consumption and reported morbidity in Salamanca (Spain)

Health authorities need to have knowledge of the use of health services in order to be able to adopt suitable measures that will ensure a more rational use of pharmaceutical products. The information relative to drug consumption and expenditures can be obtained from different sources. In the present study a survey was carried out by interviewing Salamanca families in order to discover their degree of drug consumption and the expenses incurred therein. The drugs consumed by most families were analgesics-antiinflammatory agents and cardiovascular agents. Most families were found to spend less than 1000 pesetas per month. The expenses incurred were seen to depend on the family characteristics: age, educational status and income.