Public's views on making decisions about over-the-counter medication and their attitudes towards evidence of effectiveness: A cross-sectional questionnaire study

2011 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lezley-Anne Hanna ◽  
Carmel M. Hughes
Author(s):  
Anita Majchrowska ◽  
Renata Bogusz ◽  
Luiza Nowakowska ◽  
Jakub Pawlikowski ◽  
Włodzimierz Piątkowski ◽  
...  

Background: Professional pharmacists should be directly involved in patient healthcare as members of therapeutic teams are not the only dispensers of medication. Public perceptions of the professional role of pharmacists is expressed through patients’ attitudes, trust, and expectations as health and illness consultants, or qualified retailers of medicines. This perception is influenced by numerous determinants, both health-related and social. Objective: This research intends to describe the range of social roles pharmacists play from the perspective of potential pharmacy customers/patients. Methods: The data presented in the article comes from cross-sectional survey-based research, undertaken in 2018, on a representative sample of 600 Polish adults. Results: Over-the-counter medication is purchased by almost all Polish adults, but they do not tend to ask for advice at pharmacies. Most respondents consider a pharmacist to be “a person qualified to sell medicines”, with some of the participants regarding pharmacists as “ordinary retailers”. A small number of respondents are interested in benefiting from pharmaceutical care, but the pharmacy is still perceived to be a point of purchase for medication. Conclusions: Respondents do not treat pharmacists as health advisors and reduce its role to that of dispensing medication. Sociodemographic variables have no significant effect on social perception of pharmacists.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abduelmula R. Abduelkarem ◽  
Hafsa Mustafa

Background. Over-the-counter medications are widely available in pharmacies Their safety profile, however, does not extend to pregnant women. Accordingly, there should be educational programs developed for pregnant women to protect them from the harms of the side effects. Aim. This study was planned and designed with the aim of exploring the awareness and assessing the usage of OTC medications among pregnant women in Sharjah, UAE. Method. A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire. Results. More than three-quarters (75.7%) reported that they are familiar with the term “over-the-counter drugs.” Interestingly, 40% of the respondents reported that they took OTC drugs during pregnancy, and the majority (94.2%) agreed with the survey statement “not all OTC medications are safe to be taken during pregnancy.” Constipation was the most frequent side effect that most of the participants reported during the study period. Folic acid (36%), calcium (28.6%), and iron (35.1%) were the most common supplements used by the pregnant women responding. Conclusion. The reported 40% usage of OTC medications among pregnant women in this study is worrisome and calls for the need to educate, counsel, and increase awareness among pregnant women regarding the dangers of OTC drugs usage while pregnant in Sharjah, UAE.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abinash Panda ◽  
Supriya Pradhan ◽  
Gurukrushna Mohapatro ◽  
JayaSingh Kshatri

Pharmacy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Chin ◽  
Jennifer Salcedo ◽  
Shandhini Raidoo

Since the United States Food and Drug Administration’s approval of over-the-counter levonorgestrel emergency contraception, access to this time-sensitive medication has improved. However, multiple barriers, including the cost of the medication and pharmacy availability, still exist. The objective of this study was to determine the over-the-counter availability of levonorgestrel emergency contraception in pharmacies on Oahu, Hawaii. We conducted a cross-sectional population-based study using in-person simulated patient encounters at all pharmacies on Oahu. Out of 109 chain pharmacies and 13 independent pharmacies, 102 (84%) pharmacies had levonorgestrel emergency contraception available over the counter. Of pharmacies in which it was available, 12.7% required an employee to unlock the medication, 37.3% required the medication to be unlocked at the register, 29.4% were packaged in a large plastic box, and 3.9% were packaged in a blister pack. Levonorgestrel emergency contraception is widely available as an over-the-counter medication in pharmacies on Oahu, yet there are packaging and display practices that make it less accessible. Many of these practices could be improved with pharmacy education or changes in store policies. Systems-based interventions are needed to improve the access to levonorgestrel emergency contraception as an over-the-counter medication.


Author(s):  
Praveena Ganapa ◽  
Kishore Y. Jothula

Background: The use of over the counter medications (OTC) has been reported to be on rise internationally. The OTC drug market in India currently ranks 11th in the global OTC market. Since Indian patients have a huge tendency of self-treatment, the Indian market is characterized by a huge demand for OTC drugs. Hence the current study is undertaken to know the practices of over the counter medication among college students.Methods: Institutional based cross sectional study carried out in Pharmacy College and all interested students were included with sample size of 141. Data was collected by interview method by using questionnaire. Results were presented in percentages using SPSS statistical package version 23.Results: Subjects were opting for the over the counter medication. Most common drugs dispensed were cough remedies (52.4%) followed by antibiotics (38.2%). Most (47.5%) common source of medication was parents.Conclusions: Majority of the students were opting for the over the counter medication and it is need of the hour to improve the knowledge regarding its adverse effects and about rationale use of drugs and drug resistance.


2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 280-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie L. McConaha ◽  
Lauren M. Finoli ◽  
Jennifer E. Heasley ◽  
Philip D. Lunney

Objective: To evaluate the financial and clinical outcomes of an over-the-counter (OTC) medication consultation performed by doctorate of pharmacy student pharmacists in a community pharmacy. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Independent and chain community pharmacy locations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Participants: Fourth professional year (PY4) advanced experiential student pharmacists on community rotations at the designated settings who performed OTC consultations and the participants of these encounters. Main Outcome Measured: Financial and clinical impact of an OTC consultation performed by student pharmacists on rotation. Results: A total of 559 OTC consultations were offered in 5 participating community pharmacy settings over a period of 1 year. Student pharmacists initiated 62.4% of all documented interactions and 60.5% of all participants accepted the consultation offer. The student pharmacists’ OTC recommendations resulted in significant cost savings to the participant. Those participants accepting consultation reported being more likely to consult with a pharmacist in the future. PY4 students were also able to demonstrate capability in impacting clinical outcomes on several occasions by implementing OTC medication changes due to patient safety concerns. Conclusion: Student pharmacist OTC consultations have the potential to positively impact both financial and clinical outcomes associated with the use of OTC medications.


AAOHN Journal ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 49 (9) ◽  
pp. 422-428
Author(s):  
Yvonne Abdoo ◽  
Sally L. Lusk ◽  
Cynthia S. Darling-Fisher ◽  
David L. Ronis ◽  
Richard J. Kowalski

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 1048-1057
Author(s):  
Sujit S. Sansgiry ◽  
Manjiri D. Pawaskar ◽  
Prajakta Bhounsule

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