ArticleBMJ open2013
Where to buy OTC medications? A cross-sectional survey investigating consumers' confidence in over-the-counter (OTC) skills and their attitudes towards the availability of OTC painkillers.
Article in BMJ open, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed.
- Involving consumers in health research through the use of consumer panels: a scoping review.Research involvement and engagement · 2025Review
- Knowledge, sources and use of over-the-counter drugs by teachers in a Nigerian urban community.Ghana medical journal · 2025Article
- Attitudes and Behaviors of the Public Toward over the Counter (OTC) Medications in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Consumer Likelihood to Seek Information on OTC Medicines.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Barriers and facilitators for providing self-care advice in community pharmacies: a qualitative study.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2023Article
- Consumer Impressions of the Safety and Effectiveness of OTC Medicines.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The self-medication behaviors of residents and the factors related to the consideration of drug efficacy and safety-A cross-sectional study in China.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Article
- Self-medication in Chinese residents and the related factors of whether or not they would take suggestions from medical staff as an important consideration during self-medication.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Development of a Propensity to Self-Medicate with Over-the-Counter Medicines Scale (PSM-OTC).Innovations in pharmacy · 2022Article
- Attitudes and Beliefs of College Students towards Pain Management Modalities: Theory of Planned Behavior Approach.Chronic pain & management · 2022Article
- Management of drug-disease interactions: a best practice from the Netherlands.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2021Article
- A longitudinal comparison of drug use among 10-year-old children and 15-year-old adolescents from the German GINIplus and LISAplus birth cohorts.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2016Article
- Development of a decision support system for the practice of responsible self-medication.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2016Article
- Use of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and perceptions of OTC drug safety among German adults.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2015Article
- Purchasing Over-the-counter medicines from Australian pharmacy: What do the pharmacy customers value and expect?Pharmacy practiceArticle
- 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
- Minor Ailments in Older Adults: A Study of Prevalence and Health-Related Behaviors.Journal of primary care & community healthArticle
- Expanding the role of Australian pharmacists in community pharmacies in chronic pain management - a narrative review.Pharmacy practiceArticle
- An investigation of the views and practices of Australian community pharmacists on pain and fever management and clinical guidelines.Pharmacy practiceArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo examine consumers' confidence in their own, and also in other people's, over-the-counter (OTC) skills and to describe their attitude towards the availability of OTC painkillers. Moreover we examined the association between confidence in OTC skills and attitudes.
designCross-sectional survey. Mixed methods (postal and electronic) self-administered questionnaire.
participantsMembers of the Dutch Health Care Consumer Panel.
main outcome measuresConsumers' confidence in their own, and in other people's, OTC skills was examined. Confidence was measured by three questions regarding obtaining information on, choosing and using OTC medication. Consumers' attitudes towards availability were assessed using six safety profiles, by asking which channel consumers prefer for each profile.
resultsThe response rate was 68% (n=972). Consumers feel confident about their own OTC skills (mean 3.74; 95% CI 3.69 to 3.79, on a 5-point Likert scale), but have less confidence in OTC skills of others (mean 2.92; 95% CI 2.88 to 2.96). Consumers are conservative in their attitudes towards the availability of OTC painkillers. Most consumers prefer painkillers to be available exclusively in pharmacies (41-71% per profile indicated pharmacy only). Moreover, there is an association between confidence in OTC skills and attitudes (p=0.005; β=-0.114). Consumers who are more confident about their own OTC skills prefer OTC painkillers to be more generally available.
conclusionsConsumers feel confident about their own OTC skills. However, they would prefer painkillers with safety profiles resembling those currently available OTC, to be available as OTC in pharmacies exclusively. Consumers' confidence in the OTC skills of others is more consistent with their attitudes towards availability of OTC painkillers. Until consumers themselves realise that they are also one of the others, they may overestimate their own OTC skills, which may entail health risks.
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.