The Contributing Factors to Surplus Medicine by Long-Term Users of Medical Aid in Korea / 예방의학회지
Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
;
: 403-407, 2009.
Article
in Korean
| WPRIM
| ID: wpr-181028
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
The amount of medical utilization by Medical Aid recipients was 3.7 times that of patients with Korean Medical Insurance. This study aims to describe the surplus medicine and the medication-related utilization, and to determine factors contributing to surplus medicine.METHODS:
Among those who used copayment-free Class I Medical Aid in 2005, 146,880 subjects who were > or =19 year-old and received >365 days medical treatment per year were studied with their case managers by conducting face-to-face interviews. The analytic methods were description, chi-square, t-tests, ANCOVA and multiple logistic regressions.RESULTS:
Most subjects were female (68.6%), the elderly (62.5%), and the separated (61.6%), had an elementary graduation or less (74.8%), and had disabilities (33.2%). The percentage of subjects with surplus medicine was 18.5%. However, the percentage of females, the elderly, those with non-disabilities, the separated, the uneducated, those with a very poor perceived health status and those with an economical burden for medical treatment was 19.3%, 18.9%, 19.0%, 19.3%, 19.0%, 20.2% and 24.3%, respectively. For subjects with surplus medicine, averages for the number of used pharmacies, the pharmacy-visit days and the medication costs were 4.6 drugstores, 34.9 days and approximately 1,124 thousand Won. These values were higher than those without surplus medicine (4.4 drugstores , 33.8 days, and 1,110 thousand won, respectively). The odds ratios of the contributing factors to surplus medicine were female 1.11 (95% CI=1.07-1.14), the elderly 1.06 (95% CI=1.02-1.10), those with non-disabilities 1.08 (95% CI=1.05-1.12), the separated 1.14 (95% CI=1.10-1.18), the unmarried 1.12 (95% CI=1.07-1.18), the uneducated 1.03 (95% CI=1.01-1.08), those with a very poor perceived health status 1.04 (95% CI=1.01-1.08) and experiencing an economical burden for medical treatment 2.33 (95% CI=2.26-2.40).CONCLUSIONS:
18.5% of subjects had surplus medicine with a higher mean of medication cost. Therefore, health education and health promotion programs to prevent surplus medicine and to improve the appropriate usage of medication are necessary.
Full text:
Available
Index:
WPRIM (Western Pacific)
Main subject:
Time Factors
/
Confidence Intervals
/
Odds Ratio
/
Risk Factors
/
Analysis of Variance
/
Insurance Coverage
/
Prescription Drugs
/
Republic of Korea
/
Health Services
/
Health Services Misuse
Type of study:
Etiology study
/
Qualitative research
/
Risk factors
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
Korean
Journal:
Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
Year:
2009
Type:
Article
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