Role of Pharmacies in Guiding Safe Over-the-Counter Medication Use- A Survey-based Study in Pune

Akshata Sakhawalkar; Omkar Bhosale

doi:10.55524/ijirem.2025.12.6.21

Abstract

The rising trend of "tone" drugs and the wide variety of over-the-counter(OTC) medicines have underlined the critical part of druggists in icing safe and responsible drug use. This study investigates how apothecaries in Pune contribute to guiding consumers in the safe use of OTC specifics. A check-grounded approach was employed, targeting both druggists and consumers, to assess their knowledge, gestures, and stations towards OTC medicine use. The findings punctuate that while druggists constantly give advice on lozenges, side goods, and medicine relations, they face challenges similar as time constraints, lack of consumer interest, and nonsupervisory limitations. Consumer responses reveal a general reliance on druggist recommendations, although gaps in mindfulness and occasional unsafe practices like sharing specifics or dragging tone-drug persist. The study underscores the need for enhanced druggist training, public mindfulness enterprise, and stronger nonsupervisory fabrics. Strengthening the part of druggists as frontline healthcare counsels can significantly ameliorate public health issues and promote responsible tone- care practices in civic settings like Pune.

Keywords

Over-the-Counter (OTC) Drugs, Pharmacists, Self-medication, Icing safe

References

Aljadhey, H., G. A. Assiri, M. A. Mahmoud, S. Al-Aqeel, and M. Murray, “Self-medication in Central Saudi Arabia: Community pharmacy consumers’ perspectives,” Saudi Medical Journal, vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 328–334, 2015. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4381018/
Baby, M. J., A. M. S. Rose, and J. J. Mandumpala, “Over-the-counter medicine abuse – A pharmacist’s emerging responsibility,” Indian Journal of Pharmacy and Drug Studies, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 92–96, 2022. Available from: https://mansapublishers.com/index.php/ijpds/article/view/3650
Budnitz, D. S., M. C. Lovegrove, N. Shehab, and C. L. Richards, “Emergency hospitalizations for adverse drug events in older Americans,” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 365, pp. 2002–2012, 2011. Available from: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1103053
Basak, S. C., G. S. Prasad, A. Arunkumar, and S. Senthilkumar, “An attempt to develop community pharmacy practice: Results of two surveys and two workshops conducted in Tamil Nadu,” Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, vol. 67, pp. 362–367, 2005.
Chui, M. A., J. A. Stone, and R. J. Holden, “Improving over-the-counter medication safety for older adults: A study protocol for a demonstration and dissemination study,” Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, vol. 13, pp. 930–937, 2017. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2016.11.006
Colby, S. L. and J. M. Ortman, Projections of the Size and Composition of the U.S. Population: 2014 to 2060, Current Population Reports, P25-1143, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2014. Available from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED578934
Guirguis, K., “The use of nonprescription medicines among elderly patients with chronic illness and their need for pharmacist interventions,” Consultant Pharmacist, vol. 25, pp. 433–439, 2010. Available from: https://doi.org/10.4140/TCP.n.2010.433
Gilson, A. M., K. Z. Xiong, J. A. Stone, N. Jacobson, C. Phelan, A. Reddy, and M. A. Chui, “Improving patient–pharmacist encounters with over-the-counter medications: A mixed-methods pilot study,” Innovations in Pharmacy, vol. 11, no. 1, 2020. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8132516/
Ghosh, A., S. Biswas, K. Mondal, M. Haldar, and S. Biswas, “A study on knowledge and practices of over-the-counter medications among second-year medical students,” World Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, vol. 4, pp. 1074–1081, 2015.
Kar?owicz-Bodalska, K., N. Sauer, L. Jonderko, and A. Wiela-Hoje?ska, “Over-the-counter pain medications used by adults: A need for pharmacist intervention,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 20, no. 5, p. 4505, 2023. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054505
Kumaraswamy, M., Jithin, H. K., T. J. Jithin, and B. Dince, “A study on over-the-counter drug use in community pharmacies,” International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, vol. 9, no. 12, pp. 4648–4654, 2022.
Marathe, P. A., S. K. Kamat, R. K. Tripathi, S. B. Raut, and N. P. Khatri, “Over-the-counter medicines: Global perspective and Indian scenario,” Journal of Postgraduate Medicine, vol. 66, no. 1, pp. 28–34, 2020. Available from: https://doi.org/10.4103/jpgm.JPGM_381_19
Masare, P., S. Hiremath, P. Omkar, and G. Hiremath, “A study on use of over-the-counter drugs among second-year medical students: A cross-sectional study,” National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy and Pharmacology, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 17–20, 2022. Available from: https://doi.org/10.5455/njppp.2022.11.07255202124072021
Gilson, M., K. Z. Xiong, J. A. Stone, N. Jacobson, and M. A. Chui, “A pharmacy-based intervention to improve safe over-the-counter medication use in older adults,” Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 578–587, 2021. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.05.008
Nichol, M. B., J. S. McCombs, K. A. Johnson, S. Spacepan, and D. A. Sclar, “The effects of consultation on over-the-counter medication purchasing decisions,” Medical Care, vol. 30, no. 11, pp. 989–1003, 1992. Available from: https://tinyurl.com/y7per6a3
Orayj, K., S. M. Alshahrani, A. M. Alqahtani, N. Alasmari, A. Al Abo Atef, H. S. Jrais, and D. Muslot, “The use of over-the-counter medications by university students during examinations in Saudi Arabia,” Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, vol. 14, pp. 2675–2682, 2021. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S312559
Parikh, D., B. M. Sattigeri, A. Kumar, and S. Brahmbhatt, “A survey study on use of over-the-counter drugs among medical students, nursing and clerical staff of a tertiary care teaching rural hospital,” International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 83–86, 2013. Available from: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3352064
Rubin, J. D., C. Ferencz, and C. Loffredo, “Use of prescription and nonprescription drugs in pregnancy,” Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, vol. 46, pp. 581–589, 1993. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/0895-4356(93)90132-K
Soumya, R., V. Devarashett, C. R. Jayanthi, and M. Sushma, “Drug dispensing practices at pharmacies in Bengaluru: A cross-sectional study,” Indian Journal of Pharmacology, vol. 48, pp. 360–364, 2016. Available from: https://doi.org/10.4103/0253-7613.186204
Shroti, R., N. Nayak, and M. S. Rajput, “A study on over-the-counter drugs in retail pharmacies in Indore city,” Pharmacy Letters, vol. 3, pp. 133–138, 2011.
Serper, M., D. M. McCarthy, R. E. Patzer, et al., “What patients think doctors know: Beliefs about provider knowledge as barriers to safe medication use,” Patient Education and Counseling, vol. 93, no. 2, pp. 306–311, 2013. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2013.06.030
Qato, D. M., J. Wilder, L. P. Schumm, V. Gillet, and G. C. Alexander, “Changes in prescription and over-the-counter medication and dietary supplement use among older adults in the United States, 2005 vs 2011,” JAMA Internal Medicine, vol. 176, no. 4, pp. 473–482, 2016. Available from: https://tinyurl.com/bdfx4ym3
Zafar, S. N., R. Reema, W. Sana, et al., “Self-medication amongst university students of Karachi: Prevalence, knowledge and attitudes,” Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, vol. 58, no. 4, pp. 214–217, 2008. Available from: https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_chs_chs/29/

Cites this article as

A. Sakhawalkar, O. Bhosale, "Role of Pharmacies in Guiding Safe Over-the-Counter Medication Use- A Survey-based Study in Pune", International Journal of Innovative Research in Engineering and Management (IJIREM), Vol-12, Issue-6, Page No-116-122, 2025. Available from: https://doi.org/10.55524/ijirem.2025.12.6.21

Corresponding Author

Akshata Sakhawalkar

Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Sinhgad Institute of Management, Pune, India

Download Full Paper

Download PDF

No. of Downloads: 9 | No. of Views: 109

-->

Role of Pharmacies in Guiding Safe Over-the-Counter Medication Use- A Survey-based Study in Pune

Citations

Download Full Paper PDF

Total View 109

Total Download 9