Rome, 15 Oct. (Adnkronos Salute) – The trust of Italians in the family doctor is growing. For more than 66% of the inhabitants of the Belpaese this doctor is in fact the first source of information on health matters, a much higher share than the 1998 figure (+12.9%). This was revealed by the survey carried out by Censis and the Forum for biomedical research, presented today in Rome on the occasion of the meeting on 'Thirty years of biomedical research and the fight against disease: the past and future of drugs'. A study that also captures the strength of word of mouth: 20.4% still relies on advice from family, friends or colleagues (-2.7% compared to ten years ago), while 15.6% visits the pharmacist (growing more than 9% compared to 10 years ago) and 8.7% prefers online searches. On the other hand, recourse to the classic television programs fell (-13.8% compared to 1987) and to the health inserts of the newspapers (-12.6% since 1987). Furthermore, for almost all of the interviewees, it is the doctor who must give information on the drug; therefore, it is not surprising that compliance with pharmacological therapies is growing.
In short, the dangerous 'do it yourself' with pills and syrups is waning, and when it resists it becomes more responsible. In fact, in the event of serious illness, more than 90% of Italians follow the prescriptions for doses and duration of treatment, a share that is more than 10 percentage points higher than in 1998. For mild illnesses, the share of those who follow medical prescriptions at letter rose to over 54% of respondents (from 38% in the two previous surveys of 1987 and 1998). In short, there is a clear demarcation line between severe symptoms and mild symptoms in relation to the reactions of Italians. In the first case, in addition to the 73% of the Italians, he immediately consults the general practitioner, a substantially stable figure compared to 1998, and the 16% turns to a specialist. Behavior in the event of a mild symptom is much more articulated: 47.6% tries to cure himself by staying at home, varying his diet or resting, and this percentage increases with the age of the interviewees and also with the level of education.
In practice, "self-care for mild illnesses still requires the ability to manage a cultural baggage, to accumulate information and knowledge, and this is possible either due to the availability of adequate cultural capital or also due to experience gained, in the case of the older ones," reports the Censis report. Finally, the percentages of those who rely on alternative methods for severe or mild symptoms are reduced. While the group that "takes a few drugs that have proved effective on other occasions" collapses decisively. When in doubt, it is better to rely on the pharmacist. While in the case of small ailments, trust in the advice of family and friends grows.
Source: http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Salute/?id=3.0.2591379877
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