Kamal M, Negm W A, Abdelkader A M, Alshehri A A, El-Saber Batiha G, Osama H
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt.
Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2023 Feb;27(4):1654-1666. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202302_31409.
The self-medicating practice of using over-the-counter (OTC) medications are more common than prescription drug use worldwide. OTC drugs are primarily used to treat conditions that do not require direct medical attention or supervision, and OTC drugs must be demonstrated to be reasonably safe and well-tolerated. The pharmacy profession describes their role in dispensing over-the-counter (OTC) products as "selecting the best medication according to reported symptoms". This study aimed to evaluate the use of most common over-the-counter (OTC) medications and their effect on patients.
A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted on 442 participants who used OTC drugs from June to November 2021.
The most common OTC drugs used by patients involved in the study were paracetamol (13.35%), followed by ibuprofen (2.04%). Gender of patients was significantly related to (duration, frequency, suggestion, and misuse) of OTC use and patient counseling by the pharmacist (p<0.05).
OTC medications can easily be obtained at pharmacies for the purpose of self-treatment. The most common OTC drugs used by the studied patients were paracetamol, followed by ibuprofen. It is suggested that an awareness program among community people be conducted at the community level regarding over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.
在全球范围内，使用非处方药（OTC）进行自我药疗的做法比使用处方药更为普遍。非处方药主要用于治疗无需直接医疗护理或监督的病症，并且必须证明非处方药相当安全且耐受性良好。药学专业将其在调配非处方药产品中的作用描述为“根据所报告的症状选择最佳药物”。本研究旨在评估最常用非处方药（OTC）的使用情况及其对患者的影响。
对2021年6月至11月使用非处方药的442名参与者进行了一项基于横断面调查的研究。
参与该研究的患者使用的最常见非处方药是对乙酰氨基酚（13.35%），其次是布洛芬（2.04%）。患者的性别与非处方药使用的（持续时间、频率、建议和误用）以及药剂师对患者的咨询显著相关（p<0.05）。
非处方药可在药店轻松购得用于自我治疗。研究患者使用的最常见非处方药是对乙酰氨基酚，其次是布洛芬。建议在社区层面针对非处方药开展社区人群意识项目。
