INTRODUCTION
The common cold is an acute, self-limiting infection of the upper
respiratory tract caused by viruses1 and is one of the
most frequent reasons to see a doctor.2 The common
cold itself is not a serious condition, but it imposes enormous costs on
society in terms of visits to physicians and other health-care
providers; expenditure on prescription drugs and over-the-counter
medications; and absence from work, school, or
daycare.3,4
Drug therapies for the common cold are normally targeted at relieving
symptoms5 such as nasal congestion, rhinorrhoea,
sneezing, and cough.6 To temporarily relieve these
symptoms, decongestants, antihistamines, expectorants, and antitussives
are generally administered.1-3,5,7 These drugs are
known to have a low incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events
with temporary use, and the cold in itself does not cause any GI
symptoms.8-14 Therefore, the prescription of GI drugs
to patients with the common cold is not justifiable where there are no
accompanying or underlying GI disorders. Prescribing unnecessary GI
drugs could place further burdens on health care finances without
additional therapeutic benefits.15 Concerns about
prescribing habits and inappropriate use of GI medications for patients
with colds have been expressed in several
studies.15-17
Although there are many studies on inappropriate antibiotic use in
patients with colds,18-22 few have investigated the
unnecessary use of GI drugs and the influencing factors. Therefore, this
study aimed to evaluate the national prevalence of including unnecessary
GI drugs in prescriptions for patients with the common cold in
ambulatory settings and to investigate the influencing factors
associated with this practice in Korea.