tailieunhanh - Báo cáo y học: "Use of chinese and western over-the-counter medications in Hong Kong"

Tuyển tập các báo cáo nghiên cứu về y học được đăng trên tạp chí y học Critical Care giúp cho các bạn có thêm kiến thức về ngành y học đề tài: Use of chinese and western over-the-counter medications in Hong Kong. | Chi Ho Chung et al. Chinese Medicine 2010 5 41 http content 5 1 41 CHINESE MEDICINE COMMENTARY Open Access Use of Chinese and western over-the-counter medications in Hong Kong Vincent Chi Ho Chung 1 Chun Hong Lau1 Frank Wan Kin Chan1 Joyce Hoi Sze You2 Eliza Lai Yi Wong1 Eng Kiong Yeoh1 Sian Meryl Griffiths1 Abstract Benefits of engaging community pharmacists in providing wider primary care are internationally acknowledged in Hong Kong however strategies for harnessing their potential contributions are yet to be launched. Here community pharmacist and Chinese medicine retailers are responsible for providing western and Chinese over-the-counter OTC medications. Patterns of OTC uses reflect the characteristics of populations who rely on community pharmacists and Chinese medicine retailers as their main point of contact with the healthcare system. Analyzing the data from a Hong Kong survey n 33 263 on self medication and medical consultation patterns we propose in this article an extended role for community pharmacists and Chinese medicine retailers which entails aspects as follows 1 referring patients to other medical services where appropriate 2 providing health education and preventative services 3 safeguarding the use of Chinese herbal medicines. Background In Hong Kong community pharmacists work independently from medical doctors who often prescribe and dispense medications in a clinical setting. On the other hand patients often seek first line treatment from community pharmacists 1 . Community pharmacists have long been an underutilized part of the human resources in primary care 2 3 as a result of the interplay between demand supply and organization factors 4 . In Hong Kong the use of over-the-counter OTC medications is popular in the local population. Previous studies found that 65 of the respondents used OTC medications 5 and that of outpatients had taken OTC two weeks prior to their visits 6 . The majority of community pharmacists in .