THE COMPREHENSIBILITY OF LEAFLETS ATTACHED TO OTC ANALGESICS – PILOT SURVEY OF OPINIONS IN POLAND

The aim of the study was to present the opinions on the leaflets attached to the packages of Over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics, taking into account the place of purchase and the usefulness of the information contained in the leaflet. The survey was conducted in Poland at the turn of February/March 2016 and June/July 2017. The authors constructed an original questionnaire consisting of 24 questions, both open and closed type. The survey was addressed to adults. In total 303 respondents were surveyed. Student t-test and Pearson’s chi-squared test were applied to determine differences between statistics, p < 0.05 was assumed as statistically significant. The respondents indicated a pharmacy as the main place of purchasing OTC analgesics. Most of the respondents declared that they read the leaflet attached to the package, and the font size used is large enough and legible. However, if it is difficult to read the information contained in it, and the majority of patients do not turn to the doctor or pharmacist for advice. The obtained results confirm that patients purchase and use drugs with increasing awareness. The study found that patients do not always understand drug information leaflets, and they do not always turn to professionals for counseling. The information contained in leaflets should be presented in a way that is clear, concise, and easily understandable to patients. It appears that the implementation of pharmaceutical care would greatly improve the safety of pharmacotherapy, including OTC non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).