Self-medication with aspirin in hospitalized patients in Centenial Hospital, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, 29 years later

29 years ago an article about self-medication with aspirin in patients hospitalized in the Centennial Hospital, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina was published (Am J Hosp Pharm. November 1981, 38, 11:1775-6). The results of this study show that a large proportion of hospiatlized patients (21%) take aspirin not prescribed by physician. This study emphasized that the questioning method alone is not sufficient to detect self-medication and therefore others means are necessary. The qualitative method of Trinder is useful of detectins aspirin self-medication. The purpose of this paper to repeat this protocol 29 years later is to compare the current situation respect to the results reported. It is necessary consider some changes regarding the authors (three of them dead), the shrinking of the Hospital which in 1967 had 587 beds helpful, in 1981, 230 and in 2009 only 180, its operation (national administration 1981 and provincial, currently) and the wards, etc. These changes also adapt the original protocol and was raised Trinder testing to urine samples sent to the central laboratory rooms, so there was no need to seek informed consent from patients for analysis. The fifty urine samples from patients admitted to the Hospital Centennial collected between March 30 and June 18, 2009, averaging 42.2 years of age and females at 67.7%, were negative for detecting aspirin Trinder test. That is, none of the patients in that period in Centenary Hospital received aspirin as a medication or self-medicating with aspirin within 24 hours prior to urine collection. As we observed in intentional self-poisoning, this shows a change or "mode" in the type of drug used, in this case, aspirin to self-medication.