Healthy Skepticism Library item: 9162

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Bradley C, Blenkinsopp A.
Over the counter drugs: The future for self medication
BMJ 1996 Mar 9; 312:629-632
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/312/7034/835

Abstract:

The increasing trend towards deregulation of more medicines to over the counter status has implications for the primary health care team as well as for consumers and patients. Better information for patients could improve the safety of over the counter medicines, but better systems need to be devised for reporting adverse reactions. “Collaborative care” could bring financial benefits. Doctors, nurses, and pharmacists need to discuss how they will respond to self medication practices, and ways of rewarding pharmacists for advising patients need to be found. Improved communication between doctors and pharmacists and the involvement of nurses could bring health care professionals into a new and more constructive interaction with each other and with the patient—or the changes required could split the professions as they each try to keep control of medicines.

Keywords:
Drugs, Non-Prescription*/supply & distribution Family Practice Forecasting Great Britain Humans Nursing Care Pharmacy Physician-Patient Relations Self Care/trends*