The result of China’s first survey of safety concern on drug use was released on January 9 in Beijing. It shows that 87 percent of the respondents simply consider “safe drug use” as “taking medicines according to directions affixed.” Most residents are eager to know more about drugs’ ill or side effects, Beijing News reported on Tuesday.

 

The survey, sponsored by the China Nonprescription Medicines Association (CNMA) and supported by the Tianjin Sino-American SmithKline & French Lab, covered some 30,000 residents from 100 communities in 25 cities across the country and lasted for 5 months.

 

Headache, toothache, muscle and joint twinge are the three most common pains that Chinese citizens suffer, accounting for 69, 66 and 58 percent respectively, following by pains due to sports injury (33 percent) and dysmenorrheal (29 percent), according to the survey. 

 

About 90 percent of pain-plagued patients choose to buy OTC painkillers in drug stores instead of going to doctors. Meanwhile, over half of the respondents choose OTC drugs recommended by ads, drug store salespeople or friends, and only 45 percent of them would consult a doctor for painkillers, the survey said.

 

For OTC drug use, 70 percent of the respondents take the drug in accordance with the direction, 30 percent refer to a doctor or drug store salespeople for recommended dosage. Among the OTC drug users, 87 percent say they would read the direction before taking a drug, but not give full attention to the drug’s ingredients. Some 20 percent think all OTC drugs are safe.

 

“Doctors and salespeople of drug stores should receive more training in professional skills and ethics,” said Bai Huiliang, vice president of CNMA. “Meanwhile, medical workers should help patients in learning basic drug-use knowledge, especially when drug safety and side effects are concerned.”

 

The association compiled a handbook entitled Guidance for Safe Use of Painkillers and offered it to families in the 100 surveyed communities. In the near future, people will be able to get “drug use information for consumers” from hospital or drug stores, or log into www.uoh.cn/ccmi for reference, according to the report.

 

(China.org.cn by Zhang Yunxing, January 14, 2006)