ABSTRACT
AIM: To analyse therapeutic morphine consumption in Italy and explain the current trend. ENVIRONMENT: Morphine consumption was examined at Santa Croce Hospital, Cuneo, a general provincial hospital. METHOD: The overall annual consumption of morphine was used as a starting point from which to evaluate the "average daily consumption of set doses", both in general and using a number of methods of administration. From these figures it was possible to calculate the average number of patients receiving full doses of the drug daily; this finding was compared every 10,000 days of hospitalisation. RESULTS: The analysis of consumption over the two-year period 1991-92 shows a 98.41% increase in mean morphine consumption compared to the period 1988-89. Over the five-year period the average number of patients receiving full doses of morphine daily through a variety of methods of administration was 9.89, equivalent to 3.79 patients every 10,000 days of hospitalisation. CONCLUSIONS: Useful information can be derived regarding the trend of morphine consumption from the "mean daily consumption of set doses" of morphine and, above all, from monitoring consumption per 10,000 days of hospitalisation. At present we are not aware of similar data relating to other hospitals. We hope that this lacuna will soon be filled so as to evaluate and monitor morphine consumption trends in Italy.
