ABSTRACT
This study aims to examine the recognition and practice of self-medication, stockpiling of medicine, attitudes when choosing over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, and provision of information services about medicine by pharmacists and registered OTC-medicine sellers. In this study, a questionnaire survey was conducted at an OTC promotion education event. As a result, it was the stockpiling of leftover prescription drugs and the practice of self-medication that were associated with the recognition of self-medication. Also relevant to the practice of self-medication were age, awareness of self-medication, stockpiling of leftover prescription medications, and viewing of OTC drug package inserts. This suggests that it is necessary to consider the enlightenment method and contents according to the age stage of the target for self-medication, and whether or not to read the package insert of OTC drugs should be practiced for self-medication. It was considered that it could be used as a concrete action index to show. Based on the results of the stockpile of prescription drugs left over, it is necessary to further investigate the understanding of prescription drugs by non-professionals and how to deepen their understanding. In order to disseminate and enlighten self-medication, it is necessary not only to enlighten OTC drugs but also to promote a correct understanding of prescription drugs at the same time.
ABSTRACT
India’s population as per 2011 census was 1.028 billion. Even though a wide variety of contraceptive choices are available in India, contraceptive prevalence in the country is only 56% as per the WHO global health statistics 2012. Most couples in India do not want to use a contraceptive method on a long-term basis hence unwanted and unplanned pregnancies are common. Emergency contraceptive Pills are largely underutilized in India resulting in women resorting to unsafe or illegal abortions contributing 8% to the cause of maternal mortality in India, which if taken correctly can reduce the risk of an unintended pregnancy to the range of 75-79%. The objective of the study is to assess knowledge, attitude& practice (preference &experience) of emergency contraceptive pills among women of child bearing age. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 328 females of reproductive age group. Data was collected using an anonymous pretested structured questionnaire. Results: Out of 328 subjects 300 women gave consent for the study. Around 56% women had heard of emergency contraceptive pills but only 19.3% had ever used it. Detailed and specific knowledge of ECPs are poor and misinformation is high. This was because main source of information was through electronic media which are unreliable and gives limited information. Conclusion: The study concludes that in spite of having awareness about EC Pills there is great knowledge and attitude gap in the community. Public information strategy needs to be devised to generate awareness and bring attitudinal change among females for emergency contraceptive pills. Support from women advocacy groups is thus necessary and their views, apprehensions, doubts and perceptions have to be adequately addressed to make their occasional use to prevent unwanted pregnancy is likely to bring down the load on the therapeutic abortion services.
ABSTRACT
Background: As a result of lack of skilled service providers/doctors, there is increasing trend of over the counter (OTC) sell of medicine in India. Among these OTC drugs, sell of sex enhancer medicine is an emerging problem as these medicines are being advertised on large scale using mass media like Television, newspapers and Radio without any approval from drug controlling authority ‘Central Drugs and Standards Control Organization’. Purpose of current study was to study the trend of over the counter sell of sex enhancer drugs in India & to study health seeking behavior of patients with self-diagnosed ED in terms of self-medication. Methods: This cross-sectional study include interview schedule of 74 patients coming on 10 medical stores selected randomly in Jodhpur city in September 2013. Results: So 10% were found to buying sex enhancer drugs. Thirty eight percent among those buying sex enhancer medicines were Unmarried and 62% were married.92% buying sex enhancer medicine were Hindu and 8% were Muslim patients. Only 9.46% patients had consulted allopathic doctors and 12.16% consulted to Ayurveda Vaidya, 4.05% consulted local Quack and 8.11% consulted to friends but 66.22 % patients had not consulted anybody for Medication; but they are buying by self for self-diagnosed ED Conclusions: This study therefor confirms that there is significant association between self-diagnosed ED and OTC sell of sex enhancer medicine in India. TV & newspapers, poster/banners are significantly important in providing information of sex enhancer medicines to self-diagnosed patients of ED.
ABSTRACT
Aim: The study was conducted to evaluate use of over the counter (OTC) drugs among the medical students, nursing and clerical staff of tertiary care teaching rural hospital to determine the awareness and disadvantages on use of OTC. Methods: Responses to a feedback questionnaire covering various aspects on usage of OTC drugs were obtained from 100 medical students, 100 nursing and 100 clerical staff. Results: Among 300 respondents, 84% used OTC, commonly purchased by self. Majority of them started self medication within 2 days of their illness. The frequently reported illness that prompted self-medication included headache, cough and cold, fever, generalised weakness, acidity, dysmenorrhoea, and sleep disturbances. Majority of them obtained OTC by mentioning name of drug (81%), 35% by telling symptom and 15% by showing old prescription. We found that 87% people share OTC among relatives and friends. Conclusions: Usage of OTC was highest amongst medical students and nursing staff. Time consumption for consultation, the consultation fees and frequent visits were the commonly mentioned reasons for self medication. It was analysed that none of the clerical staff were aware of the drug, dose, frequency of administration and adverse reactions. While very little awareness of medication was found even among nursing staff and medical students. Therefore it is suggested that the public has to be educated on the type of illnesses to be self-diagnosed and medicated, dangers of OTC on misuse which would possibly lead to delay in detection of more serious underlying ailment and timely medication.
ABSTRACT
<b>Objective: </b>To develop a label comprehension study (LCS) of package inserts for over-the-counter medications in Japan, we evaluated whether it would be possible to detect differences in the level of understanding due to layout, and font size of different types of package insert using the interview method for LCS we developed previously.<br><b>Design: </b>A face-to-face questionnaire investigation.<br><b>Methods: </b>Two different types of package insert (including layout, and font size) for H<sub>2</sub>-antagonists (package insert groups A and B) were used. Study participants (≥18 years old) comprised consumers who visited a drugstore with a dispensing service in Saitama Prefecture. They were randomly assigned to group A or B and divided by age range (young, 18-39 years; middle-aged, 40-59 years; eldely, ≥60 years). First, the volunteers read the package insert with no time limitation and then answered 14 scenario-type questions during an interview to determine the level of understanding of the insert. When both the correct answer and correct reason were given, the response was judged as correct. The level of understanding of the package insert was calculated as the number of persons giving correct responses divided by all respondents.<br><b>Results: </b>Questionnaire responses from 86 consumers (43 in each group) were obtained. The mean age in groups A and B was 46.5 years and 47.0 years, respectively. The mean level of understanding of the package insert (14 questions) in groups A and B was 50.2 and 38.1%, respectively. By age range, the mean level of understanding of the package insert in groups A and B in the young group was 60.6 and 56.9%, respectively, and there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. However, the mean level of understanding in groups A and B was 56.9 and 35.0% in the middle-aged group and 26.3 and 14.5% in the elderly group, respectively. The mean understanding in group A was therefore higher than that in group B in both age ranges. The association between understanding and age within groups indicated that with increasing age, understanding was lower in both groups (group A, <i>p</i>=0.001; group B, <i>p</i><0.001). There was no difference in the level of understanding between the young and middle-aged in group A, but the difference in group B was greater than 20%.<br><b>Conclusion: </b>By comparing two package inserts of products in a similar pharmacological category using our LCS method, it suggested that font size and layout influenced consumers’ understanding of package inserts. It might be able to evaluate the difference in the understanding of the package insert by using our LCS method.