Injection Practices in the Third World: A Case Study in Thailand - EDM Research Series No. 011: CHAPTER FIVE - 5. RESULTS: THE EXTENT OF INJECTION USE: 5.8 Number of drugs

Injection Practices in the Third World: A Case Study in Thailand - EDM Research Series No. 011
(1994; 68 pages)

Table of Contents

	CHAPTER ONE - 1. AIM AND OBJECTIVES
	CHAPTER TWO - 2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
		2.1 Introduction
		2.2 Methods used in the rural setting
		2.3 Methods used in the urban setting
		2.4 Evaluation of methodologies
	CHAPTER THREE - 3. RESEARCH SETTING
		3.1 Socio-economic indicators
		3.2 Changing disease pattern
		3.3 The public health sector
		3.4 Public health in Udon Thani
		3.5 The private health sector
		3.6 Consumption and regulation of bio-medical drugs
		3.7 The rural village Ban
		3.8 The urban slum dwelling Motak
	CHAPTER FOUR - 4. THERAPY OPTIONS
		4.1 Introduction
		4.2 The history of injections in Ban
		4.3 Present therapy options for rural villagers
		4.4 The district hospital in Ban Phang
		4.5 The private clinics in Ban Phang
		4.6 The drug stores in Ban Phang
		4.7 The provincial capital city of Udon Thani
		4.8 Udon Public Hospital
		4.9 Wattana Private Hospital
	CHAPTER FIVE - 5. RESULTS: THE EXTENT OF INJECTION USE
		5.1 Treatment strategies
		5.2 Number of households
		5.3 Type of injections
		5.4 Children and injections
		5.5 Gender and injections
		5.6 Injections per treatment provider
		5.7 Injections and specific illness conditions
		5.8 Number of drugs
		5.9 Unknown drugs
		5.10 Summary
	CHAPTER SIX - 6. RESULTS: THE CAUSAL AND CONTEXTUAL FACTORS IN THE POPULARITY OF INJECTIONS
		6.1 Concepts relating to the body, disease and discomfort
		6.2 Therapeutic expectations and perception of medicines
		6.3 Patient-provider exchange and evaluation
		6.4 Monetary factors
	CHAPTER SEVEN - 7. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
		7.1 Summary of results
		7.2 Recommendations
	LITERATURE LIST
	OTHER DOCUMENTS IN THE DAP RESEARCH SERIES
	DAP RESEARCH SERIES NO. 11

5.8 Number of drugs

Average number of drugs per patient during the first visit to:

Groceries:	23 + 2/23 = 1.09 drugs/patient
Friends:	4+1+1+1/4 = 1.75 drugs/patient
Rice miller:	No first visit
Drug store:	8+7/8 = 1.88 drugs/patient
Health centre:	55+42+22+5/60 = 2.07 drugs/patient
Hospital B.P.:	6+5+5+4+1+3+1/6 = 4.17 drugs/patient
+ Other hospitals:	25+3+3+2/6+3 = 3.67 drugs/patient¹³
++ Hospital U.T.:	25+8+5/6+3+2 = 3.45 drugs/patient¹⁴
Private clinics:	17+15+14+11+6+2/19 = 3.42 drugs/patient

¹³ These figures include those from the hospital in Ban Phang.

¹⁴ These figures include those from the hospital in Ban Phang and from other hospitals. In other words, all public hospitals have been added to one category.

The number of drugs per patient is lower in the informal sector than in the formal sector. With the exception of the health centre the public facilities administer three to four drugs per patient. It is questionable whether this polypharmacy is rational and necessary. From an economic point of view it is certainly expensive for the public health system.