An independent study about over the counter medicines to analyse parents’ awareness for paediatric use

Background Over the counter medicines (OTCms) are widely used in paediatrics but their conditions of use are difficult to monitor as they do not need a prescription for purchasing. Even though several studies have been conducted in the USA and Australia, data are lacking in our country. Purpose Our multidisciplinary team (1 clinical pharmacist, 2 paediatricians, 1 researcher) analysed the use of OTCms in the paediatric population. We focused on self-medication habits, typology of medications and parents’ awareness about the potential drug interactions (DI) and adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Material and methods We conducted a 4 week prospective study by survey through a questionnaire delivered to parents waiting for a paediatric visit in a medical practice office. Questions (n = 18) concerned: social and cultural overview, type of OTCms utilised, self-medication use behaviour, drug characteristics, impact of advertisements, knowledge and awareness of the possibility of DI, inefficacy or ADRs. Results 50 questionnaires were collected. 96% of those interviewed were mothers. Mean age of parents was 41 years for fathers (range 30–55) and 38 for mothers (range 20–51). Mean number of sons was 1.66 (range 1–5) and their mean age was 6.21 years (range 17 days-16 years). Results showed a widespread use of OTCms in the paediatric population (78%). Most frequently they were administered after a doctor’s (59%) or pharmacist’s (24%) advice. Most used OTCms classes were: drugs for upper respiratory tract (58%) or gastrointestinal problems (9%), supplements/vitamins (18%) and analgesics (15%). ADRs eventually detected by parents were reported to the paediatrician/pharmacist by 76%. 72% of parents acquainted themselves with ADRs and potential DI. Parents reported the medicine’s inefficacy to the paediatrician after 2–3 days (65%) or different periods (35%), depending on disease severity. 31% of parents declared to be influenced by advertisements. Conclusion Parents were aware about the possibility of ADRs, DI and inefficacy of OTCms. Although the data showed that the parent-paediatrician relationship was important to address the use of OTCms for the children, some parents were influenced by advertisements. An improvement in the study is planned by increasing the number of interviewed parents and the level of detail.