Centre for General Medicine and Geriatrics, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Am Pulverturm 13, 55131, Mainz, Germany.
Wien Med Wochenschr. 2024 Mar;174(3-4):61-68. doi: 10.1007/s10354-022-00967-6. Epub 2022 Sep 23.
Studies show that over-the-counter drugs are widely used by consumers. Moreover, there is a huge selection available and they are prominently featured in advertising. To date, there exist only a few studies that shed light on the attitudes, attributions, and usage patterns of patients with regard to use of over-the-counter drugs. An anonymized explorative waiting room survey was conducted among 900 patients in 60 GP practices in the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, and Rhineland-Palatinate. As well as the descriptive analysis, a t test was applied to independent random samples, in order to identify significant differences between two groups. 65% of respondents reported using over-the-counter drugs frequently or occasionally. With regard to effects, risks, and side effects, 54% state that they usually take advice from their GP and/or pharmacist before purchasing or taking over-the-counter preparations. For 56%, the package information leaflet is a frequent source of information about the over-the-counter drugs used. The respondents consider over-the-counter preparations to be particularly suitable for (preventive) treatment of colds, flu symptoms, and pain management. The widespread perception of over-the-counter drugs as simple to use (62%), low-dose (69%), and low-efficacy (73%) products does not always correspond to the actual capabilities and risks of over-the-counter self-medication. Given the easy availability of over-the-counter drugs and their strong presence in advertising, it is important that patients have a realistic idea of the capabilities and risks of over-the-counter products. In addition to the advice provided by pharmacists, the trusting, long-standing support provided by GPs and their ongoing information and advice services play a central role in this. It would be advisable to give more attention to this public health concern and to promote initiatives to make patients more aware of the risks regarding consumption of drugs without medical consultation.
研究表明，消费者广泛使用非处方药物。此外，可供选择的种类繁多，并且在广告中也有突出的特色。迄今为止，仅有少数研究揭示了患者对非处方药物的态度、归因和使用模式。在德国北莱茵-威斯特法伦州、黑森州和莱茵兰-普法尔茨州的 60 家全科医生诊所中，对 900 名患者进行了匿名探索性候诊室调查。除了描述性分析，还对独立的随机样本进行了 t 检验，以确定两组之间的显著差异。65%的受访者报告经常或偶尔使用非处方药物。关于效果、风险和副作用，54%的人表示，在购买或服用非处方制剂之前，他们通常会向他们的全科医生和/或药剂师咨询意见。对于 56%的人来说，包装说明书是了解他们所使用的非处方药物的常用信息来源。受访者认为非处方制剂特别适用于（预防性）治疗感冒、流感症状和疼痛管理。人们普遍认为非处方药物易于使用（62%）、低剂量（69%）和低疗效（73%），但这并不总是与非处方自我用药的实际能力和风险相对应。鉴于非处方药物的易得性及其在广告中的强大存在，让患者对非处方产品的能力和风险有一个现实的认识非常重要。除了药剂师提供的建议外，全科医生的信任、长期支持及其持续的信息和咨询服务也起着核心作用。关注这一公共卫生问题并推动相关倡议，使患者更加意识到在没有医疗咨询的情况下使用药物的风险，是明智之举。
