Korean J Fam Pract 2019; 9(5): 416-425  https://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2019.9.5.416
Trait of Pain Killer Self-Administration among the Doctors Serving at General Hospitals Located in the Capital Area of the Republic of Korea
Su Youn Lee, Sejong Kim, Kang Seok Seo, Sang Gu Na, Seong Won Park, Young Kyu Park*, Kyung Shik Lee, Young Ah Choi, Sung Min Cho
Department of Family Medicine, Bundang Jesaeng Hospital, Seongnam, Korea
Young Kyu Park
Tel: +82-31-779-0152, Fax: +82-31-779-0169
E-mail: pyk0706.dmc.or.kr
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5749-6025
Received: July 18, 2018; Revised: September 6, 2019; Accepted: September 9, 2019; Published online: October 20, 2019.
© The Korean Academy of Family Medicine. All rights reserved.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background: The aim of this study was to identify the painkillers preferred for self-administration by doctors working at general hospitals in the capital of the Republic of Korea.
Methods: We collected data, using a questionnaire, from 224 doctors working at secondary or tertiary hospitals in the capital of the Republic of Korea from July 1, 2017 to August 31, 2017. The questionnaire included questions on the preferred type of painkiller for each type of pain and the frequency of painkiller intake. Further, we evaluated the participants on the Likert scale to analyze the consideration and cognition of self-administration of painkillers.
Results: The doctors in this study tended to state the trade name of the painkillers rather than the generic name. They preferred acetaminophen for headache and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for gastrointestinal (GI) pain, dysmenorrhea, toothache, and musculoskeletal pain. In the choice of painkiller for self-administration, they set utmost importance on the effectiveness of the medicine, followed by the potential side effects, physician's prescription, and the pharmacy's recommendation, in that order. The side effects attribute GI complications, hepatotoxicity, drug tolerance, and delayed diagnosis to painkiller use. There were some remarkable differences between surgeons and non-surgeons, men and women, and specialists and trainees in the conception of painkillers and pain control.
Conclusion: This is the first study worldwide on the trait of the self-administration of painkillers by doctors, which can serve as a useful reference in clinical settings.
Keywords: Analgesics; Self Administration; Republic of Korea; Self Medication
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