Tavares Aida Isabel
CEISUC - Centre for Health Studies and Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; ISEG, UL - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
Health Policy. 2025 May;155:105307. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105307. Epub 2025 Mar 23.
Self-medication is prevalent in European countries, where health systems are committed to providing universal and equitable access to medicines and health services. This study aims to explore the relationship between the use of over-the-counter (OTC) and prescribed drugs, as well as between OTC drug use and healthcare service utilization. Data from the European Health Interview Survey, wave 2019, were analyzed using logistic regressions on a sample of employed individuals from 26 countries. The main findings point to complementary and triangular relationships between the consumption of over-the-counter and prescribed drugs, and the use of health care consultations. Additionally, it was confirmed that the consumption of over-the-counter drugs is more likely when people are absent from work for health reasons. Finally, the study recommends fostering collaboration between pharmacists and healthcare providers to create comprehensive medication profiles for patients.
自我药疗在欧洲国家很普遍，这些国家的卫生系统致力于提供普遍且公平的药品和医疗服务获取途径。本研究旨在探讨非处方药（OTC）与处方药的使用之间的关系，以及非处方药使用与医疗服务利用之间的关系。使用逻辑回归分析了来自26个国家的在职人员样本在2019年欧洲健康访谈调查中的数据。主要研究结果表明，非处方药和处方药的消费与医疗咨询的使用之间存在互补和三角关系。此外，已证实当人们因健康原因缺勤时，更有可能消费非处方药。最后，该研究建议促进药剂师与医疗服务提供者之间的合作，为患者创建全面的用药档案。
