Recent patterns of medication use in the ambulatory adult population of the United States: the Slone survey.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional population survey (by design analogy)
PubMed 11790213 · doi:10.1001/jama.287.3.337
What was done
A random-digit-dial telephone survey of 2,590 noninstitutionalized adults aged 18 and older in the 48 continental United States and the District of Columbia between February 1998 and December 1999. Participants reported their use of prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, vitamins/minerals, and herbal preparations or natural supplements during the preceding week, categorized by demographic characteristics.
What was found
In the preceding week, 81% of adults used at least 1 medication, 50% took at least 1 prescription drug, and 7% took 5 or more medications. Prevalence was highest in women aged 65 and older, where 12% took at least 10 medications and 23% took at least 5 prescription drugs. Overall, 14% of the population used herbal preparations or natural supplements. Among prescription drug users, 16% concurrently used an herbal/supplement, rising to 22% among fluoxetine users. Hypertension and headache were the most common reasons for drug use (9% each), while vitamins/minerals (35%) and herbals/supplements (16%) were most commonly taken for general "health."
Why it matters
This study provides national baseline data on ambulatory polypharmacy and documents substantial concurrent use of prescription drugs with herbal supplements, highlighting potential risks for unmonitored drug interactions.
Limits
The study relies entirely on self-reported recall over a 7-day period without independent pharmacy or medical record verification. Institutionalized individuals, hospitalized patients, and those without telephone access were excluded, and clinical outcomes or actual drug-drug interaction events were not evaluated.
Cited by
- supports 81% of Americans take at least one prescription medication.