Health Highlights: March 20, 2008
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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors ofHealthDay:
Many Americans Self-Medicate
According to a new survey, 76 percent of American adults use non-prescription drugs for themselves and their children to treat a variety of common illnesses, and many of them don't consult a health-care provider about the use of these medicines.
Many people self-medicate because it's more convenient (86 percent) or they don't believe their illness is serious enough to see a doctor (78 percent), according to the survey of 1,005 adults, which was conducted for the National Council on Patient Information and Education and released Wednesday. The survey received funding from drug maker Sanofi-Aventis.
Respondents who self-medicate were most likely to do so for colds (56 percent), coughs (37 percent), and seasonal allergies (29 percent), and year-round allergies (14 percent).
Of the nine of 10 adults who self-medicate a number of common conditions, many said they did so because they were familiar with how to treat their own (90 percent) or their child's illness (93 percent) due to past experience with the illnesses.
However, 76 percent said they recognized that self-medication can pose possible risks. About one in five adults who typically self-medicates said they have not used non-prescription drugs as directed, either by taking more than the recommended dose (20 percent) or be taking them more frequently than indicated (17 percent).
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Some Americans Question Private Health System
Many Americans aren't certain the country's private health-care system is better than public health care in Canada, France, and Great Britain, suggests a Harvard School of Public Health survey released Thursday,Bloomberg Newsreported.
The telephone survey of 1,026 people found that 45 percent believed the U.S. health system was generally the best, while 54 percent said they didn't know or thought the other countries' health systems were better.
"Most Americans still think that the quality here is relatively good, but they are concerned about cost and affordability. They don't have strong views on where it is better, however," Robert Blendon, a professor of health policy and political analysis, toldBloomberg.
