Use of drug sellers by old people in northeast Thailand.

Abstract

The paper describes an exploratory study of the use of private drug sellers by people age 60 and over in three districts in northeast Thailand. The survey paid special attention to problems of under-reporting, and found that respondents visited drug sellers two or three times a month--a much higher frequency than usually reported. The typical reason for visiting a drug seller was to obtain one or two days' worth of modern medicines to treat the symptoms of non-acute conditions. The paper discusses ways to improve on current survey methods for studying private drug sellers.