ArticlePharmacy world & science : PWS2009
Patient experiences of over-the-counter medicine purchases in Flemish community pharmacies.
Article in Pharmacy world & science : PWS, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 31 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- Migraine Management in Community Pharmacies: Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Patterns of Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The quality of non-prescription medicine counselling in Finnish pharmacies - a simulated patient study.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2023Article
- Consumer Likelihood to Seek Information on OTC Medicines.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The Awareness of Risks Associated with OTC Drugs Available in Non-Pharmacy Outlets among Polish Patients-A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Community pharmacists' services for women during pregnancy and breast feeding in Kuwait: a cross-sectional study.BMJ open · 2018Article
- Use patterns of over-the-counter (OTC) medications and perspectives on OTC medications among Korean adult patients with chronic diseases: gender and age differences.Patient preference and adherence · 2018Article
- Review of community pharmacy services: what is being performed, and where are the opportunities for improvement?Integrated pharmacy research & practice · 2017Review
- 'It's all there in black and white' - or is it? Consumer perspectives on the proposed Australian Medicine Information Box over-the-counter label format.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2016Article
- Consumer concerns about paracetamol: a retrospective analysis of a medicines call centre.BMJ open · 2016Article
- Managing Minor Ailments; The Public's Preferences for Attributes of Community Pharmacies. A Discrete Choice Experiment.PloS one · 2016Article
- Customer interest in and experience with various types of pharmacy counselling - a qualitative study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2014Article
- Design and comprehensibility of over-the-counter product labels and leaflets: a narrative review.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2014Review
- Characteristics of elderly patients who consider over-the-counter medications as safe.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2013Article
- Interactions between parents/carers of pre-school children and pharmacy staff when buying non-prescription medicines.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2011Article
- Consumer views on safety of over-the-counter drugs, preferred retailers and information sources in Sweden: after re-regulation of the pharmacy market.Pharmacy practiceArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivePatient use of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines contributes to improving public health and reducing public pharmaceutical expenditure. However, little is known of patient experiences of pharmacy distribution and services related to OTC medicines. The aim of this study is to explore patient experiences of purchasing OTC medicines in Flemish community pharmacies.
methodData were gathered from an anonymous postal questionnaire survey of patients purchasing OTC medicines in a random sample of Flemish community pharmacies in April 2008. The self-administered questionnaire related to the most recent purchase of OTC medicines by a patient in a community pharmacy. The questionnaire included questions about: (a) sources of information about OTC medicines; (b) the patient relationship with pharmacist and physician; (c) organization and layout of the pharmacy; (d) distribution channels; and (e) patient satisfaction. Questions were generally measured using Likert scales. The questionnaire was piloted among patients.
resultsOne hundred and fifty-five pharmacies consented to distribute questionnaires to five patients each, yielding a total of 358 useable questionnaires (response rate of 46%). The first point of contact about OTC medicines was the pharmacist (61% of patients), followed by the physician (29%). Newspapers and the internet were not viewed as primary sources of advice on OTC medicines. Patients tended to purchase OTC medicines for the acute treatment of pain, gastro-intestinal conditions, common cold, cough or musculo-skeletal pain. More than 75% of patients felt that pharmacists provided sufficient information about the health condition and OTC medicine use. About one-third of patients did not wish the physician to be informed of their OTC medicine use. Patients did not seem to agree with distribution channels for OTC medicines other than the community pharmacy.
conclusionsFlemish patients were satisfied with pharmacy distribution and services related to OTC medicines. They see an important role for pharmacists and physicians to accompany them in their OTC medicine use. Our results highlighted the need to strengthen communication between patients, pharmacists and physicians. It is also recommended that pharmacists keep an individual record detailing patient use of OTC and prescription medicines.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.