Volume 12, Number 3—March 2006
Research
Self-medication with Antimicrobial Drugs in Europe
, Flora M. Haaijer-Ruskamp*, Johannes G.M. Burgerhof*, Reli Mechtler†, Reginald Deschepper‡, Arjana Tambic-Andrasevic§, Retnosari Andrajati¶, Dominique L. Monnet#, Robert Cunney**, Antonella Di Matteo††, Hana Edelstein‡‡, Rolanda Valinteliene§§, Alaa Alkerwi¶¶, Elizabeth A. Scicluna##, Pawel Grzesiowski***, Ana-Claudia Bara†††, Thomas Tesar‡‡‡, Milan Cizman§§§, Jose Campos¶¶¶, Cecilia Stålsby Lundborg###, and Joan Birkin****
Table 2
Actual use of systemic antimicrobial drugs in the last 12 months and at-risk self-medication in 19 European countries
| Country (region in country) | Rate per 1,000 respondents (95% confidence interval) |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual self-medication | Prescribed use | Intended self-medication | Storage* (conservative estimate) | Storage† (maximum estimate) | ||
| Countries with response rate >40% | ||||||
| Northern and western | ||||||
| The Netherlands (Twente) | 1 (0.2–4) | 152 (134–170) | 85 (71–101) | 10 (6–17) | 36 (28–46) | |
| Sweden (Vastmanland) | 4 (0.9–12) | 135 (109–161) | 118 (94–143) | 14 (7–26) | 43 (29–60) | |
| Denmark (Funen, Aarhus, Copenhagen‡) | 7 (4–12) | 172 (154–189) | 132 (116–147) | 42 (33–52) | 84 (72–97) | |
| Luxemburg (whole country) | 9 (3–19) | 288 (252–324) | 83 (62–107) | 90 (69–114) | 132 (106–158) | |
| Belgium (East Flanders, Flemish Brabant) | 9 (5–15) | 222 (201–242) | 80 (67–95) | 71 (59–84) | 123 (107–138) | |
| Southern | ||||||
| Malta (whole country) | 56 (38–79) | 422 (380–465) | 228 (192–264) | 156 (125–186) | 269 (232–306) | |
| Eastern | ||||||
| Czech Republic (Hradec Krlov) | 7 (3–13) | 253 (228–279) | 179 (156–201) | 45 (33–58) | 64 (51–80) | |
| Slovakia (Middle Slovakia region) | 42 (27–63) | 569 (527–612) | 324 (284–365) | 192 (159–225) | 302 (263–340) | |
| Romania (Dolj) | 198 (160–235) | 307 (263–351) | 431 (383–478) | 200 (162–238) | 321 (277–365) | |
| Countries with response rate <40%§ | ||||||
| Northern and western | 52 (33–77) | |||||
| Austria (Upper Austria) | 9 (2–23) | 159 (124–195) | 73 (49–103) | 34 (19–55) | 52 (33–77) | |
| United Kingdom (Nottinghamshire) | 12 (5–23) | 221 (189–254) | 166 (137–195) | 33 (21–49) | 74 (56–97) | |
| Ireland (Cork) | 14 (7–25) | 353 (320–386) | 150 (125–176) | 29 (19–43) | 100 (80–123) | |
| Southern | ||||||
| Israel (Northern Israel) | 15 (6–31) | 330 (287–374) | 187 (150–223) | 120 (91–149) | 236 (197–274) | |
| Italy (Abruzzo) | 62 (33–103) | 512 (444–580) | 243 (185–301) | 379 (314–445) | 569 (502–636) | |
| Spain (autonomous community of Madrid) | 152 (103–201) | 315 (251–379) | 314 (249–380) | 260 (200–320) | 500 (431–569) | |
| Eastern | ||||||
| Slovenia (Ljubljana region) | 17 (10–26) | 293 (266–320) | 280 (253–307) | 119 (100–137) | 183 (160–205) | |
| Croatia (Zagreb county) | 31 (19–48) | 439 (399–478) | 205 (172–237) | 130 (103–156) | 212 (179–244) | |
| Poland (Pomorskie) | 33 (23–47) | 199 (172–225) | 115 (94–136) | 69 (53–87) | 137 (115–160) | |
| Lithuania (Klaipeda, Rietavas) | 210 (181–239) | 275 (243–308) | 449 (412–486) | 177 (149–204) | 333 (299–367) | |
*Included only those respondents who stored antimicrobial drugs and had not taken the same antimicrobial drugs for a prescribed course in the previous 12 months.
†Including all respondents who stored antimicrobial drugs.
‡Although Copenhagen has population >750,000, both self-medication and prescribed use of antimicrobial drugs were not significantly different between the sample of Copenhagen and sample of the other 2 Danish counties (χ2 tests).
§The rates for these countries should be interpreted as first rough estimates.
1A copy of the questionnaire is available from the corresponding author on request.
2The adjusted estimates for each country are available from the corresponding author on request.
3Results are available from the corresponding author on request.