What influences the information exchange during self-medication consultations in community pharmacies? A non-participant observation study.

Background: Although pharmaceutical staff consider guideline-compliant information exchange during self-medication consultations as crucial, they have not fully integrated it into practice. It is unclear what prevents pharmaceutical staff from implementing their positive intentions into their actual everyday practice. To improve the information exchange during the current consultation practice, a deeper understanding of its implementation is needed.

Are evidence-based criteria addressed during counseling on over-the-counter products? An observational study in community pharmacies.

Objective: We examined whether evidence-based criteria were addressed during counseling on over-the-counter products (OTCs) in community pharmacies.

Methods: Consultations were observed in 10 community pharmacies. We analyzed communications about OTCs to determine if any information on three evidence-based criteria (outcome variables: scientific evidence such as clinical study results, pharmaceutical staff's experience, and customer's experience) was mentioned.