A study of the utilization of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs using a pharmacy-based approach

Abstract

The extent of compliance and drug exposure characteristics among NSAID users has not been extensively studied. We measured drug compliance in patients who obtained a NSAID in one of four German pharmacies, by an interview four weeks later. The study population consisted of 526 persons with an average age of 57 years, and two-thirds of the participants were women. We observed that only half of the patients had followed the recommended dosage regimen for the NSAID. Persons with complaints lasting three months or less were more likely to be compliant than chronically ill patients (OR = 5.0, 95 per cent CI: 3.0–8.2). We concluded that this heterogeneity in drug utilization must be considered in the design of observational studies.