Studies on drug utilization: bilateral case study in Poland and Sweden.

The utilization of drugs in Poland and Sweden was compared by two means: the defined daily doses (DDD) and the price-adjusted sales figures (PASF). Obtained results imply that the total pharmaceutical consumption in the countries under study is almost equal: in Poland-US $114.47 and in Sweden-US $109.77 per inhabitant. However, in particular groups and subgroups of drugs, significant differences in prescribing exist (Tables 1 and 2). Awareness of these may help doctors to improve their prescribing of drugs, and may prompt further studies on drug utilization where irrational use of drugs is not evident but suspected.