{"title":"消费者对非处方(OTC)镇痛药的认知和自我用药行为的评估与评价。阿拉伯-沙特阿拉伯的横断面研究。","authors":"Arwa Khaled","doi":"10.1111/jep.14298","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Objectives</h3>\n \n <p>To assess and evaluate consumer awareness and common medication use practices towards OTC analgesics, with a focus on the impact of irrational drug use and its implications for public health and safety. This includes identifying gaps in knowledge, evaluating the potential consequences of misuse, and discussing how these findings can inform future educational initiatives and policy development to promote safer medication practices.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>This was a cross-sectional, semi-quantitative survey of 750 Saudi volunteers both males and females aged between 18 and 65 years. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used among randomly selected volunteers with a history of OTC analgesic use.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>A total of 750 questionnaires were administered and the response rate was measured to be 75.6%. More than 50% of the study population used OTC analgesics without a prescription and reported using analgesics as soon as they start experiencing any pain. Paracetamol was found to be the most predominantly used analgesic. The most common indication of OTC analgesic use was reported for headache and toothache whereas irrational use of analgesics in terms of dose, frequency and indication was found to be to the extent of 50%. Primary source of information related to OTC analgesic use was obtained from pharmacy personnel (31.7%), and Patient Insert Leaflets (PIL) (28.7%). Majority of the respondents (64.3%) didn't know the safe maximum dose of Paracetamol, whereas 73.3% used to stop medicine only after experiencing some side effects. 52.4% of the respondents were not aware about the most common side effects, and potential interactions of analgesic medications.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusion</h3>\n \n <p>Our study highlights the menace of self-medication practices and irrational use of OTC analgesic by the study participants. Immediate remedial measure need to be taken to discourage self-medication and improve rational use of OTC drugs which can be achieved by focusing on improving the consumers' awareness of self-medication and the rational use of medications.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":15997,"journal":{"name":"Journal of evaluation in clinical practice","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Assessment and Evaluation of Consumer Awareness and Self-Medication Use Practices Towards Over the Counter (OTC) Analgesics. A Cross-Sectional Study in Abha-Saudi Arabia\",\"authors\":\"Arwa Khaled\",\"doi\":\"10.1111/jep.14298\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div>\\n \\n \\n <section>\\n \\n <h3> Objectives</h3>\\n \\n <p>To assess and evaluate consumer awareness and common medication use practices towards OTC analgesics, with a focus on the impact of irrational drug use and its implications for public health and safety. This includes identifying gaps in knowledge, evaluating the potential consequences of misuse, and discussing how these findings can inform future educational initiatives and policy development to promote safer medication practices.</p>\\n </section>\\n \\n <section>\\n \\n <h3> Methods</h3>\\n \\n <p>This was a cross-sectional, semi-quantitative survey of 750 Saudi volunteers both males and females aged between 18 and 65 years. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used among randomly selected volunteers with a history of OTC analgesic use.</p>\\n </section>\\n \\n <section>\\n \\n <h3> Results</h3>\\n \\n <p>A total of 750 questionnaires were administered and the response rate was measured to be 75.6%. More than 50% of the study population used OTC analgesics without a prescription and reported using analgesics as soon as they start experiencing any pain. Paracetamol was found to be the most predominantly used analgesic. The most common indication of OTC analgesic use was reported for headache and toothache whereas irrational use of analgesics in terms of dose, frequency and indication was found to be to the extent of 50%. Primary source of information related to OTC analgesic use was obtained from pharmacy personnel (31.7%), and Patient Insert Leaflets (PIL) (28.7%). Majority of the respondents (64.3%) didn't know the safe maximum dose of Paracetamol, whereas 73.3% used to stop medicine only after experiencing some side effects. 52.4% of the respondents were not aware about the most common side effects, and potential interactions of analgesic medications.</p>\\n </section>\\n \\n <section>\\n \\n <h3> Conclusion</h3>\\n \\n <p>Our study highlights the menace of self-medication practices and irrational use of OTC analgesic by the study participants. Immediate remedial measure need to be taken to discourage self-medication and improve rational use of OTC drugs which can be achieved by focusing on improving the consumers' awareness of self-medication and the rational use of medications.</p>\\n </section>\\n </div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":15997,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Journal of evaluation in clinical practice\",\"volume\":\"31 1\",\"pages\":\"\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":2.1000,\"publicationDate\":\"2025-01-08\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Journal of evaluation in clinical practice\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"3\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jep.14298\",\"RegionNum\":4,\"RegionCategory\":\"医学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q3\",\"JCRName\":\"HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of evaluation in clinical practice","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jep.14298","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES","Score":null,"Total":0}
Assessment and Evaluation of Consumer Awareness and Self-Medication Use Practices Towards Over the Counter (OTC) Analgesics. A Cross-Sectional Study in Abha-Saudi Arabia
Objectives
To assess and evaluate consumer awareness and common medication use practices towards OTC analgesics, with a focus on the impact of irrational drug use and its implications for public health and safety. This includes identifying gaps in knowledge, evaluating the potential consequences of misuse, and discussing how these findings can inform future educational initiatives and policy development to promote safer medication practices.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional, semi-quantitative survey of 750 Saudi volunteers both males and females aged between 18 and 65 years. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used among randomly selected volunteers with a history of OTC analgesic use.
Results
A total of 750 questionnaires were administered and the response rate was measured to be 75.6%. More than 50% of the study population used OTC analgesics without a prescription and reported using analgesics as soon as they start experiencing any pain. Paracetamol was found to be the most predominantly used analgesic. The most common indication of OTC analgesic use was reported for headache and toothache whereas irrational use of analgesics in terms of dose, frequency and indication was found to be to the extent of 50%. Primary source of information related to OTC analgesic use was obtained from pharmacy personnel (31.7%), and Patient Insert Leaflets (PIL) (28.7%). Majority of the respondents (64.3%) didn't know the safe maximum dose of Paracetamol, whereas 73.3% used to stop medicine only after experiencing some side effects. 52.4% of the respondents were not aware about the most common side effects, and potential interactions of analgesic medications.
Conclusion
Our study highlights the menace of self-medication practices and irrational use of OTC analgesic by the study participants. Immediate remedial measure need to be taken to discourage self-medication and improve rational use of OTC drugs which can be achieved by focusing on improving the consumers' awareness of self-medication and the rational use of medications.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice aims to promote the evaluation and development of clinical practice across medicine, nursing and the allied health professions. All aspects of health services research and public health policy analysis and debate are of interest to the Journal whether studied from a population-based or individual patient-centred perspective. Of particular interest to the Journal are submissions on all aspects of clinical effectiveness and efficiency including evidence-based medicine, clinical practice guidelines, clinical decision making, clinical services organisation, implementation and delivery, health economic evaluation, health process and outcome measurement and new or improved methods (conceptual and statistical) for systematic inquiry into clinical practice. Papers may take a classical quantitative or qualitative approach to investigation (or may utilise both techniques) or may take the form of learned essays, structured/systematic reviews and critiques.