Jacobs L R
Medicine Shoppe, Chardon, Ohio, USA.
Am Fam Physician. 1998 May 1;57(9):2209-14.
Self-care is becoming increasingly popular among health care consumers. The availability of over-the-counter medications makes it possible for consumers to treat numerous ailments without the supervision of a health care professional. Many of the medications now available without a prescription were previously classified as prescription-only products. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has procedures in place that allow prescription products to be reclassified as over-the-counter medications if certain criteria are met. Reclassified products have had clinical and economic effects on the U.S. health care system and have led to concerns among health care professionals. Patient education and counseling are particularly important to promote safe and effective use of over-the-counter products.
自我护理在医疗保健消费者中越来越受欢迎。非处方药的可得性使消费者无需医疗保健专业人员的监督就能治疗多种疾病。现在许多无需处方即可获得的药物以前被归类为仅凭处方使用的产品。美国食品药品监督管理局制定了相关程序，若符合某些标准，允许将处方产品重新归类为非处方药。重新归类的产品对美国医疗保健系统产生了临床和经济影响，并引发了医疗保健专业人员的担忧。患者教育和咨询对于促进安全有效地使用非处方产品尤为重要。
