Consumer views on safety of over-the-counter drugs, preferred retailers and information sources in Sweden: after re-regulation of the pharmacy market

Westerlund, Tommy; Barzi, Sahra; Bernsten, Cecilia

doi:10.18549/pharmpract.2017.01.894

Cited by 21 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Its main purpose is to provide patients with the necessary information about their medication in terms of its administration, precautions, and potential side effects. 34 In our study, gender was highly associated with reading OTC product leaflets including side effects, contraindications, and proper storage conditions (P < .05). These findings were in line with what was found in Palestine where gender was the only associated factor with reading the PIL.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

“…A patient information leaflet (PIL) is intended to provide patients with written information about the medication. Its main purpose is to provide patients with the necessary information about their medication in terms of its administration, precautions, and potential side effects . In our study, gender was highly associated with reading OTC product leaflets including side effects, contraindications, and proper storage conditions ( P < .05).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

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The awareness of the Jordanian population about OTC medications: A cross‐sectional study

Taybeh

Al‐Alami

Alsous

et al. 2019

Pharmacology Res & Perspec

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Due to the shortage of literature related to the safe use of over‐the‐counter (OTC) products by patients worldwide, the aim of this study was to evaluate people's knowledge and attitudes regarding the use of OTC products in Jordan. Using an internet‐based questionnaire mainly spread through social media platforms, a descriptive cross‐sectional study was conducted with Jordanian candidates who consume OTC products. A total of 274 OTC product users answered the survey questions. The results showed that analgesics were the most commonly used OTC products among the participants (50.4%). The majority used the OTC products only as needed rather than on a regular basis. Only 42.4% of the participants sought a pharmacist's help in determining the dose of the OTC medicine. Most of the participants were very interested in reading a patient information leaflet (80.3%) and the side effects and contraindications (89.5%). The majority of participants agreed that antibiotics have to be prescribed (68.5%), and anti‐allergy medications should not be used as sleep aid medications (75.0%). About 53.4% thought that OTCs are sometimes enough to treat their health conditions without the need to follow‐up with a physician. A chi‐square analysis showed an association between gender, age, educational level and having a family member in the medical field and OTC products knowledge among Jordanians. Females, for example, were more interested in reading leaflet, checking production and expiry dates, knowing adverse effects, and appropriate storage conditions (P < .001, 0.022, 0.003, 0.007, respectively). We concluded that a good level of knowledge on the use of OTC products among the study population was identified in the present study.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

The awareness of the Jordanian population about OTC medications: A cross‐sectional study

Taybeh

Al‐Alami

Alsous

et al. 2019

Pharmacology Res & Perspec

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“…The so‐called pharmacist‐led medication appears as an important “chain link” to be encouraged and developed when considering the high level on confidence of people in pharmacists. For instance, in Sweden, where 42 products have been switched to OTC status since 2003, and where drugs like paracetamol have been available through nonpharmacy outlets since 2009 (Gedeborg et al, ), a consumer survey including 8,000 adults showed that pharmacy remains the most preferred OTC drug retailer (Westerlund et al, ). As key pivotal stakeholders in the decision‐making process (Bell et al, ; Chang et al, ; Gilmartin‐Thomas et al, ; Jonas, ), pharmacists are supposed to guide the consumer in making an appropriate choice and to identify inaccurate self‐diagnosis requiring a medical advice, so playing an important role as a point of access for providing OTC drug advice or physician referral when needed (Bell et al, ; Chang et al, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The so-called pharmacist-led medication appears as an important "chain link" to be encouraged and developed when considering the high level on confidence of people in pharmacists. For instance, in Sweden, where 42 products have been switched to OTC status since 2003, and where drugs like paracetamol have been available through nonpharmacy outlets since 2009 (Gedeborg et al, 2017), a consumer survey including 8,000 adults showed that pharmacy remains the most preferred OTC drug retailer (Westerlund et al, 2017).…”

Section: Pharmacists Interventions In Analgesic Otc: Rationale Objmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, as long as the function of the pharmacist is to deliver medication and to help people improve their lifestyle and make informed self‐care choices (Bell et al, ; Chang et al, ), a less restricted definition including the possibility for individuals to be informed and guided by a pharmacist appears more relevant to discuss. The crucial role of the pharmacist in patients’ education is reinforced when considering progressive switches of medications from a prescription to an OTC status (Chang et al, ; Sarganas et al, ; Westerlund, Barzi, & Bernsten, ). This pharmacist‐led self‐medication approach would be also consistent with the position of the WHO and various task forces including public authorities and academics who highlight the key role of pharmacists to reduce the number of unnecessary visits to the GP (Bell et al, ; Chang et al, ; GAP Taskforce on Self Care, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Self‐medication in pain management: The state of the art of pharmacists’ role for optimal Over‐The‐Counter analgesic use

Perrot

Cittée²,

Louis

et al. 2019

European Journal of Pain

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Background and Objective Self‐medication is associated with an important utilization of Over‐The‐Counter (OTC) analgesics. The medical outcome resulting from therapeutic options bypassing the physician prescription is a major issue. In that context, pharmacists are expected to play a crucial role. The main objective of this review was to analyse the state‐of‐the art of pharmacists' role in pain management self‐medication. Databases and Data Treatment An expert multidisciplinary group dedicated to self‐medication in pain was established. Selection of publications was performed from PubMedand EMBASE databases which was based on the use of “pain” and/or “self‐medication” and/or “self‐care” and/or “analgesics” and/or “painkillers” keywords, restricted to the past 10 years. Results A total of 480 papers were identified, 49 of which papers were considered relevant and finally kept for final discussion, on OTC pain management and pharmacist's role. Literature analysis demonstrates that OTC analgesics are generally safe when appropriately used. Risks associated with misuse or inappropriateness depend on patients’ vulnerability (elderly, pregnancy) or behaviour. Social cognitive theory‐based intervention and multimedia applications improve self‐medication but do not replace health care professional advice Pharmacists’ interventions may improve the benefits and safety of OTC analgesic medication, with a better management of pain. Conclusions Considering the heterogeneity of patients’ knowledge and behaviour reported worldwide, inappropriate use of OTC pain medication should not be underestimated. Community pharmacists are ideally placed to guide self‐medication or recommend a medical advice when needed. Embedding pharmacists in primary care pain management is essential and pharmacist‐led medication coupled with an appropriate training of pharmacy staffs should be encouraged. Significance Analgesics are widely used without prescription, all over the world. They represent the largest market of OTC drugs, with an overall benefit/risk ratio favourable when appropriately used. Because of potential individual risks associated to the ailment or to the patient's behaviour, pharmacists’ interventions have proven to optimize analgesic self‐medication, provided that pharmacy staffs are both available and more specifically trained. In the future, in pain management, especially self‐medication, pharmacists should play an increasing role and should be included in educational programmes and pain management guidelines.

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Drug-related problems and pharmacy interventions in non-prescription medication, with a focus on high-risk over-the-counter medications

Ylä-Rautio

Siissalo²,

Leikola³

2020

Int J Clin Pharm

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Background The risks associated with over-the-counter medication are often underestimated by consumers. The incorrect use of certain medications can lead to significant patient harm. Inappropriate use can be prevented by pharmaceutical counselling. Objective To determine the number and nature of drug-related problems in over-the-counter medication with a special emphasis on high-risk over-the-counter medications. Setting Fifty-two community pharmacies in Finland. Method This observational study was conducted as a questionnaire survey. The pharmacists working in participating pharmacies documented the observed drug-related problems and pharmacy interventions in over-the-counter medication during 1 week using an electronic study form based on the Westerlund drug-related problem classification system. Main outcome measure The prevalence of drugrelated problems and problem types in different medication categories. Results The 52 community pharmacies documented 339 drug-related problems in 0.6% of over-the-counter customers, the most common problem being "Uncertainty about the indication for the drug" (39.2%). A significant proportion of the documented problems (26.3%) concerned high-risk over-thecounter medications, and the majority of these cases were associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (21.8%). In total, pharmacies made 641 interventions to resolve the drug-related problems. For majority of drug-related problems (87%), pharmacist's intervention involved counselling. In more than half of the problem cases, the pharmacy intervention was precautionary. Conclusion Pharmacists intervene in and prevent problems related to over-the-counter medications, including high-risk medications like analgesics, in which inappropriate use due to consumers' lack of knowledge can lead to severe consequences. As the selection and use of over-the-counter medications is continuously increasing, pharmaceutical counselling should be readily available and actively provided for consumers to achieve safer self-medication.

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Consumer views on safety of over-the-counter drugs, preferred retailers and information sources in Sweden: after re-regulation of the pharmacy market

Cited by 21 publications

References 19 publications

The awareness of the Jordanian population about OTC medications: A cross‐sectional study

The awareness of the Jordanian population about OTC medications: A cross‐sectional study

Self‐medication in pain management: The state of the art of pharmacists’ role for optimal Over‐The‐Counter analgesic use

Drug-related problems and pharmacy interventions in non-prescription medication, with a focus on high-risk over-the-counter medications

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