Every week, we will provide a brief summary and a link to the published abstract of newly published papers selected from the worldwide literature as being of particular interest to the SelfCare community.

IMPACT OF OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICATION USE ON PATIENTS’ HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE: DEVELOPMENT AND PSYCHOMETRIC VALIDATION OF OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICATION IMPACT SCALE.

By: Mhatre SK, Sansgiry SS.

Clinical Drug Investigations 2014; 34: 277-86.

Summary: This document reports on the development of the OTC Medication Impact Scale (OTC-MIS), a generic tool using self-reporting to measure the impact of OTC medicine use on patient QoL. Some of the domains are comparable to the SF-12.
Abstract.

SELF-MEDICATION WITH OVER-THE-COUNTER AND PRESCRIBED DRUGS CAUSING ADVERSE-DRUG-REACTION-RELATED HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS: RESULTS OF A PROSPECTIVE, LONG-TERM MULTI-CENTRE STUDY.

By: Schmiedl S, Rottenkolber M, Hasford J, Rottenkolber D, Farker K, Drewelow B, Hippius M, Saljé K, Thürmann P.

Drug Safety 2014; 37: 225-35.

Summary: A hospital catchment area of approximately 500,000 inhabitants was assessed, for a period between January 2000 and December 2008. Of 6887 patients with ADRs leading to hospitalization, self-medication was involved in 266 (3.9%). In 143 of those, the ADRs were due to OTC medicines (as opposed to formerly prescribed agents taken without a current doctor’s recommendation. Self-medication-related ADRs were predominantly GI complaints caused by NSAIDs. The authors concluded that self-medication played a limited role in ADRs leading to hospitalization.
Abstract.

EXPLORING THE PERSPECTIVES OF POTENTIAL CONSUMERS AND HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS ON THE READABILITY OF A PACKAGE INSERT: A CASE STUDY OF AN OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICINE

By: Pires CM, Cavaco AM

European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2014; 70: 583-88.

Summary: Amongst the 20 lay people, almost all identified an issue with the label, mainly related to comprehension of technical terms.
Abstract.

ANTIBIOTIC USE AND KNOWLEDGE IN THE COMMUNITY OF YEMEN, SAUDI ARABIA, AND UZBEKISTAN.

By: Belkina T, Al Warafi A, Hussein Eltom E, Tadjieva N, Kubena A, Vlcek J.

J Infect Dev Ctries. 2014 Apr 15;8(4):424-9

Summary: A sample of 1200 teachers from large cities in the 3 countries was used. The most common reasons for antibiotic use were cough and influenza. Forty-nine percent discontinued the antibiotic when they felt better. The prevalence of antibiotic self-medication was found to be alarmingly high.
Abstract.

HIGH-RISK USE OF OVER-THE-COUNTER NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS: A POPULATION-BASED CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

By: Koffeman AR, Valkhoff VE, Celik S, W’t Jong G, Sturkenboom MC, Bindels PJ, van der Lei J, Luijsterburg PA, Bierma-Zeinstra SM.

Br J Gen Pract. 2014 Apr;64(621):e191-8

Summary: The research attempted to quantify the prevalence of OTC NSAID use in the general Dutch population and in high-risk patients. While the number of responses from invited patients was low, 30% of the general population had used an OTC NSAID compared to 13% of the high-risk group. Over 20% of OTC NSAID users in the general population had used them for more than 7 days, compared to 30% in the high-risk group.
Abstract.

USAGE PATTERNS OF ‘OVER-THE-COUNTER’ VS. PRESCRIPTION-STRENGTH NONSTEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS INFRANCE.

By: Duong M, Salvo F, Pariente A, Abouelfath A, Lassalle R, Droz C, Blin P, Moore N.

Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014 May;77(5):887-95.

Summary: A database of French healthcare insurance systems was used to identify NSAID usage patterns, with specific interest in OTC and prescribed NSAID use in patients with chronic diseases and concurrent use of cardiovascular medicines. Over 2 years, 229,477 of 526,108 patients had at least one NSAID dispensation. OTC users were younger and more often female compared to those receiving prescribed agents. Chronic co-morbidities were found in 19% of OTC users versus 28% of NSAIDs via prescription. The authors concluded that most of NSAIDs use appeared to be short-term, especially for OTC NSAIDs such as ibuprofen.
Abstract.

OSTEOARTHRITIS IN EUROPE: IMPACT ON HEALTH STATUS, WORK PRODUCTIVITY AND USE OF PHARMACOTHERAPIES IN FIVE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

By: Kingsbury SR, Gross HJ, Isherwood G, Conaghan PG.

Rheumatology (Oxford). 2014 May;53(5):937-47.

Summary: Input came from 57512 people, from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. The use of prescription medication was reported by 46.9% of patients, OTC medication by 26.5%, and both by 9.4%.
Abstract.

XYLOMETAZOLINE POISONING: A 40-FOLD NASAL OVERDOSECAUSED BY A COMPOUNDING ERROR IN 3 CHILDREN.

By: Musshoff F, Madea B, Woelfle J, Vlanic D.

Forensic Sci Int. 2014 May;238:e3-5..

Summary: The impact of nose drop concentration 40 times higher than that recommended for a child are discussed.
Abstract.

ASSESSING THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF RX-TO-OTC SWITCHES: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND GUIDELINES FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT.

By: Cohen J, Millier A, Karray S, Tuomi M.

Journal of Medical Economics 2013; 16: 835-844.

Summary: This review on the economic evidence for product switches suggests that they may produce cost savings to payers.
Abstract.