Laboratory of Hygiene and Environmental Protection, Department of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
Value Health Reg Issues. 2022 Mar;28:38-45. doi: 10.1016/j.vhri.2021.07.012. Epub 2021 Nov 17.
To determine the frequency of use, sources of information, and selection criteria of Greek residents regarding over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, as well as their opinion about their dispensing in nonpharmacy settings.
This was a survey study in which an anonymous cross-sectional questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge, habits, and attitudes about OTC drugs. Data were collected from March 2017 to July 2017 in Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece. Logistic regression was used to investigate significant factors that affect the participants' behavior.
A total of 782 participants completed the questionnaire. The population had a mean (SD) age of 46 (17) years and 55.1% were females. About one-third (32.5%) of the participants used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs more than once per week. OTC drugs acting on the gastrointestinal tract were used to a lower extent (13.2%). The majority (84%) of the respondents consult a healthcare professional about the information on OTC drugs. Furthermore, when not sure about which OTC drug to use, 510 participants (65.6%) valued their physician's advice, whereas 480 participants (60.2%) valued their pharmacist's advice. Most participants (61.2%) were negatively inclined toward the purchase of OTC drugs in nonpharmacy settings, with younger participants being more receptive to out-of-pharmacy OTC drug purchase than older ones (odds ratio 2.20; 95% confidence interval 1.37-3.54).
Healthcare professionals play an important role in providing people information on their selection of OTC drugs. This could be the main reason why participants prefer to buy OTC drugs from community pharmacies rather than retail shops.
确定希腊居民使用非处方（OTC）药物的频率、信息来源和选择标准，以及他们对在非药店环境中配药的看法。
这是一项调查研究，使用匿名横断面问卷评估了参与者对 OTC 药物的知识、习惯和态度。数据于 2017 年 3 月至 7 月在希腊第二大城市塞萨洛尼基收集。逻辑回归用于调查影响参与者行为的显著因素。
共有 782 名参与者完成了问卷。该人群的平均（SD）年龄为 46（17）岁，其中 55.1%为女性。约三分之一（32.5%）的参与者每周使用非甾体抗炎药超过一次。作用于胃肠道的 OTC 药物的使用程度较低（13.2%）。大多数（84%）受访者会就 OTC 药物信息咨询医疗保健专业人员。此外，当对使用哪种 OTC 药物不确定时，510 名参与者（65.6%）重视医生的建议，而 480 名参与者（60.2%）重视药剂师的建议。大多数参与者（61.2%）对在非药店购买 OTC 药物持负面态度，年轻参与者比年长参与者更愿意接受非药店购买 OTC 药物（比值比 2.20；95%置信区间 1.37-3.54）。
医疗保健专业人员在提供人们选择 OTC 药物的信息方面发挥着重要作用。这可能是参与者更喜欢从社区药店而不是零售店购买 OTC 药物的主要原因。
