Over the last decade Britain has observed a trend towards the re-regulation of 'prescription only medicines' in favour of pharmacy status drugs. This move towards self-treatment to reduce pressures on general practitioner drug budgets and workloads has focused attention on the need for community pharmacists to extend their patient education and screening roles. In response to these changes, this study was conducted to explore: the type of over-the-counter (OTC) medicine being misused in Scotland; pharmacists' professional attitudes and management of OTC misuse; and the training and support needs of pharmacists. A postal questionnaire was designed. This was informed by an earlier stage of qualitative research and the available literature. It was then piloted and administered to all 110 pharmacies in the study area. A 79% response rate was achieved. The research found that OTC misuse, particularly of certain analgesics, sleeping prescriptions, products containing codeine or pseudoephedrine, caffeine, cough mixtures, and laxatives was common. The estimated mean number of patients suspected of misusing medicines in a typical week was 5.63. Pharmacies in urban areas were more likely than those in rural areas to report suspected misuse. The research identified a number of intervention strategies relating to: patient/pharmacist interaction; information provision; removal of products from the point of sale; sharing of information with other local pharmacists; and referral to other members of the primary care team. Pharmacists expressed a need for support in managing OTC misuse and in organising 'early warning systems' to share information locally.

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