ArticleEuropean journal of clinical pharmacology2015
Use of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and perceptions of OTC drug safety among German adults.
Article in European journal of clinical pharmacology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed.
- Prescription and Non-prescription Medication Pill Burdens and Their Associations with Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.Drugs & aging · 2025Trial
- Self-Medication Safety Behaviours and Recognition of Pharmacological Risks: A Clinical Pharmacology Perspective.Cureus · 2026Article
- Factors Associated With Self-Medication to Mitigate Vaccine Reactions After COVID-19 Vaccination: A Prospective Cohort Study.Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety · 2026Article
- Self-medication among general population in the European Union: prevalence and associated factors.European journal of epidemiology · 2024Article
- What Do Younger and Well-Educated Adults Think about Self-Medication? Results of a Survey during a Public Science Event at Leipzig University.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Attitudes, attributions, and usage patterns of primary care patients with regard to over-the-counter drugs-a survey in Germany.Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift (1946) · 2024Article
- Utilization of Over-the-Counter Painkillers Among Medical Students During Academic Examinations.Cureus · 2023Article
- Elevating Safe Use of Over-The-Counter Medications in Older Adults: A Narrative Review of Pharmacy Involved Interventions and Recommendations for Improvement.Drugs & aging · 2023Review
- Suspected inappropriate use of prescription and non-prescription drugs among requesting customers: A Saudi community pharmacists' perspective.Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society · 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
- Self-medication practices with conventional and herbal drugs among ear, nose, and throat patients.Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992) · 2022Article
- The Quality of Counseling for Headache OTC Medications in German Community Pharmacies Using a Simulated Patient Approach: Are There Differences between Self-Purchase and Purchase for a Third Party?TheScientificWorldJournal · 2022Article
- Non-random relations in drug use expressed as patterns comprising prescription and over-the-counter drugs in multimorbid elderly patients in primary care: Data of the exploratory analysis of the multicentre, observational cohort study MultiCare.The European journal of general practice · 2021Observational
- Strategic Analysis of the Turkish Over-the-Counter Drugs and Non-pharmaceutical Products MarketTurkish journal of pharmaceutical sciences · 2021Article
- Observational
- The Awareness of Risks Associated with OTC Drugs Available in Non-Pharmacy Outlets among Polish Patients-A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Prevalence of Over-the-Counter Cosmeceutical Usage and the Impact of a Health Education Intervention in Female Saudi University Students.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2021Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeIn Europe, little empirical evidence is available about over-the-counter (OTC) drug consumption and risk perceptions. The objective of this study was to describe consumers' OTC drug use and perceptions of OTC drug safety in Germany.
methodsAn online survey based on a quota sample with combined strata for age, gender, and education of 300 adult German participants was conducted in June and July 2013. The survey questionnaire covered the participants' OTC and prescription drug use, risk perceptions of OTC and prescription drugs, package leaflet reading habits, and OTC drug off-label use.
resultsSeven day prevalences of OTC drug use were higher in women (52.0%) than in men (40.8%). The risk perception of specific OTC drugs was impacted by the route of administration, the indication, and the drugs' ingredients. Products for dermal application or plant-based products were considered 'rather not risky' by 82.7-96.6 of the participants, depending on the product. Products for oral use or chemically synthesized substances were considered less safe. While 48.0% of consumers reported always reading the package leaflet of OTC drugs, 44.5% reported not reading it if they knew the drug or believed the drug was very safe. People, 60 years and older, reported significantly lower levels of OTC drug off-label use (9.3%) than younger people (22.0%).
conclusionsThe 7-day prevalence of OTC drug use in Germany is high, especially among women. Consumers generally have balanced perceptions regarding OTC drug safety. Behaviours and knowledge related to OTC drug use should be considered by health care providers and regulators.
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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.