Inside the medicine cabinet... Do you know your staff's common medication usage and how it can impact their practice?

摘要

A growing number of Americans use prescription and nonprescription medications on a regular basis. An aging population, rapid development and release of new medications, and changes in health practice are all responsible for increased usage. Indeed, in any given week, 81% of adults in the United States take at least one medication (prescription or over the counter [OTC]) and at least 50% take a prescription medication. Prevalence of use increases with age and by gender, with older women having the greatest medication use. Most Americans are also likely to take more than one medication (see Table 1).