Shah Shweta, Gilson Aaron M, Jacobson Nora, Reddy Apoorva, Stone Jamie A, Chui Michelle A
Sonderegger Research Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
Pharmacy (Basel). 2020 Sep 18;8(3):175. doi: 10.3390/pharmacy8030175.
The potential risks of over-the-counter (OTC) medications are often aggravated in vulnerable populations, such as older adults. The elevated patterns of older-adult OTC medication use do not necessarily translate into a greater understanding of these medications or their safety implications. The objective of this study was to assess how older adults' knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes inform their decision-making regarding OTC use. Situational interviews were conducted in three community pharmacies with 87 older-adult participants to capture how they intended to use an OTC medication. The interviews were transcribed and qualitatively analyzed, generating seven key themes: (1) medication use concerns; (2) following label instructions; (3) wait time until medication effect; (4) responses to medication not working; (5) decision to stop medication; (6) sources of information; and (7) safety implications. This study shows substantial variations in older-adult OTC medication use while providing insight on factors that influence older adults' appropriate OTC medication use and, in some cases, the potential for harmful effects.
非处方药（OTC）的潜在风险在老年人等弱势群体中往往会加剧。老年人使用非处方药的增加模式并不一定意味着对这些药物或其安全影响有更深入的了解。本研究的目的是评估老年人的知识、信念和态度如何影响他们在使用非处方药方面的决策。在三家社区药店对87名老年参与者进行了情景访谈，以了解他们打算如何使用一种非处方药。访谈内容被转录并进行了定性分析，得出了七个关键主题：（1）用药担忧；（2）遵循标签说明；（3）药物起效的等待时间；（4）药物无效时的应对措施；（5）停药决定；（6）信息来源；（7）安全影响。本研究显示了老年人使用非处方药的巨大差异，同时深入了解了影响老年人正确使用非处方药的因素，以及在某些情况下产生有害影响的可能性。
