Table 2.
Characteristics of 100 visits with prescription of cold combination products among 46 older ambulatory patients during the 1-year follow-up
| Characteristics | Total, N = 100 |
|---|---|
| Specialty of prescribers, n (%) | |
| Internal medicine | 93 (93.0) |
| Otolaryngology | 4 (4.0) |
| Surgery | 3 (3.0) |
| Medical record documentationa, n (%) | |
| History taking | 39 (39.0) |
| Physical examination | 26 (26.0) |
| Prescription of cold combination products, n (%) | |
| Duration (days), mean ± SD | 8.8 ± 8.5 |
| Simultaneous use of other drugs | |
| Any use | 42 (42.0) |
| Antibiotics | 6 (6.0) |
| Antitussives | 21 (21.0) |
| Expectorants | 9 (9.0) |
| Exogenous enzymes | 7 (7.0) |
| Acetaminophen | 2 (2.0) |
| Japanese Kampo medicines | 14 (14.0) |
Cold combination products were defined as medical compounds containing all of the following substances: caffeine, acetaminophen, NSAIDs, and first-generation H1-antihistamines
aThis documentation included information regarding the common cold