Survey finds overreliance on clinics

By Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNA Add TT as Preferred Source About 48.7 percent of Taiwanese go to outpatient clinics first for minor ailments, spending an average of 66.5 minutes on accessing care, a survey by the Taiwan Self-care Industry Association revealed yesterday.Another 69 percent are unsure what over-the-counter medicines are, including what kinds are available, dosing, use and safety considerations, it found.Pharmacists were the second-most common source of medical advice behind physicians, although only 51.4 percent of respondents proactively consulted pharmacists in the past year, and only 6.7 percent considered pharmacists as their first priority for consulting on mild ailments, it found. Members of the Taiwan Self-care Industry Association pose for a photograph at a