Patient perspectives to self medication in a community pharmacy setting in Malta.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Maltese Health Care System
• Maltese Classification of Pharmaceuticals
• Cost of medicines in Malta - Economic Aspects
• Deregulation from POM to P
• Collaborative Care
• Misuse vs. Abuse
• OTC misuse
• OTC abuse
• Studies on OTC use (self medication)
• Aims and objectives
• Methodology
• Literature Review
• Modifications to questionnaire of Waizaify et al. 2005
• Validity testing
• Administration of Questionnaire
• Structure of questionnaire
• Coding data into SPSS
• Analysis of Data
• Researching published studies into OTC drug related trends to aid in improving pharmaceutical care
• Results
• Reliability testing
• Demographics
• Patient interaction with a local pharmacy
• Views on OTC use
• OTC selection
• OTC abuse
• Discussion
• Drug-related trends to improve pharmaceutical care
• Drug adherence
• Health Literacy
• OTC abuse
• Facilitating behaviour change
• Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This thesis investigates the perspectives of patients regarding over-the-counter (OTC) medication in a community pharmacy setting in Malta. It aims to determine the incidence of irresponsible medication use, the reasons for and contributing factors, as well as methods employed to reduce these occurrences. The study also explores the misuse and abuse of OTC medications.

• Patient perspectives on OTC medication use
• Incidence of irresponsible medication use (misuse and abuse)
• Reasons for and contributing factors to irresponsible OTC use
• Methods to reduce irresponsible OTC use
• The misuse and abuse of OTC medications

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of the Maltese health care system and the classification of pharmaceuticals. It explores the economic aspects of medicine costs in Malta and discusses the deregulation of certain drugs from prescription-only to over-the-counter (OTC) status. The chapter concludes by defining misuse and abuse in relation to OTC medication and examining previous studies on self-medication practices.
• Aims and objectives: This chapter outlines the study's specific aims and objectives, focusing on understanding patient perspectives on OTC medication use, identifying factors contributing to irresponsible use, and exploring methods to mitigate these issues.
• Methodology: This chapter describes the research methodology employed in the study. It includes a detailed explanation of the questionnaire design, its modification from previous studies, and the process of validity testing. The chapter also outlines the administration of the questionnaire, including the structure and coding of data into SPSS software for analysis.
• Results: This chapter presents the findings of the study, covering aspects such as demographics of the participants, their interactions with community pharmacies, views on OTC use, selection criteria for OTC medications, and experiences with OTC abuse.
• Discussion: This chapter analyzes the findings of the study, discussing drug-related trends to improve pharmaceutical care, drug adherence, health literacy, and the prevalence of OTC abuse. The chapter also explores potential strategies for facilitating behavior change related to OTC medication use.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This study focuses on patient perspectives towards OTC medication in a community pharmacy setting in Malta. Key themes include OTC misuse and abuse, patient perceptions, drug adherence, health literacy, and facilitating behavior change related to OTC medication use. The study also highlights the importance of pharmacists in providing advice and guidance on responsible OTC medication use.