Pharmacist’s recommendations of over-the-counter treatments for the common cold - analysis of prospective cases in Poland

Autor: Malgorzata Pietrusiewicz, Paulina Natalia Kopa-Stojak, Rafal Pawliczak
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: BMC Family Practice, Vol 22, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1471-2296
DOI: 10.1186/s12875-021-01561-2
Popis: Abstract Background Common cold is a frequent illness in northern hemisphere between late autumn and early spring. Patients suffering from it frequently turn to pharmacists instead of physicians in order to receive medical advice and treatment. We studied its treatment advised by pharmacists in Poland, as well as evidence for the efficacy of their recommendations by utilizing a self-developed questionnaire and a study of existing literature. Methods The data were collected by 27 pharmacists who worked in four large network community pharmacies in Lodz, Poland. The study took place from December 2019 to February 2020. Data were recorded only if the patient asked for pharmacy counselling for over-the counter (OTC) products due to common cold self-diagnosis and a product was sold. Pharmacists’ recommendations were compared with the results of a literature review of best evidence to determine appropriateness of the pharmacists’ decisions. Results In four out of five cases the pharmacists recommended products contained paracetamol. In addition, in one out of three patient encounters they advised nasal decongestant, inosines and/or OTC mucolytics. There was a significant relationship between fever and recommendation frequency of some analgesics, inosines, mucolytics and sore throat products (OR > 1, p 1, p 1, p 1, p
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