Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
1993-12-15
pubmed:abstractText
To ascertain the prevalence of self-medication with antimicrobial agents among patients attending a clinic for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), we administered a questionnaire to and collected a urine specimen for antimicrobial testing from 551 patients before treatment. We defined self-medication as an antimicrobial agent taken on the patient's own initiative by self-report during the week before the visit to the clinic or a positive urine assay for antimicrobial agents at the time of the clinic visit. We tested urine for the presence of antimicrobial agents by a disk diffusion method using Sarcina lutea as the test organism. A total of 75 (14%) of the 551 participants were self-medicators: 19 reported antimicrobial use and had a positive urine test, 27 reported antimicrobial use but had a negative urine test, and 29 denied antimicrobial use but had a positive urine test. Thus, 29 (60%) of the 48 patients with antimicrobial agents detected in their urine at the time of the clinic visit denied self-medication. Self-medicators acquired their antibiotics either from their medicine cabinet (44%) or from a family member or friend (56%). Self-medication was associated with self-report of prior use of unprescribed antimicrobial agents (P < .0001). We concluded that use of unprescribed antimicrobial agents (usually beta-lactam agents or tetracyclines) among STD clinic attendees in our study was common and that self-reporting was not a reliable method of screening for self-medicators.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Sep
pubmed:issn
1058-4838
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
17
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
462-5
pubmed:dateRevised
2004-11-17
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1993
pubmed:articleTitle
Prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among patients attending a clinic for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
pubmed:affiliation
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Prevention Services, Atlanta, Georgia.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article