Impact on General Public of Lecture on Proper Use of OTC Medicines Including TV Commercials and Case Studies

We have found that a lecture on over-the-counter (OTC) medicines including television commercials and case studies that we have been giving to freshmen pharmacy students has been useful in enhancing the professionalism of students as well as their motivation to learn about OTC medicines.In this study,we modified the lecture by adding audience-friendly figures and explanations,and gave it to members of the public to see whether it was effective in enhancing their awareness of the proper use of OTC medicines.It was given to 166 local residents and high-school students who were asked to complete a questionnaire before and after the lecture,and responses were analyzed for 133 people who fully completed the questionnaires.Of the 133 respondents,122 had used OTC medicines previously,and before the lecture,46 of 65 local residents (70.8 %) and 17 of 57 high-school students (29.8%) had considered a pharmacist’s advice in selecting OTC medicines.Further,the number of respondents who desired a pharmacist’s advice in selecting OTC medicines increased to 59 (90.8%) for the local residents and 54 (94.7%) for the high-school students after the lecture.While eight of 65 local residents (12.3%) and 11 of 57 high-school students (19.3%) had not read package inserts before using OTC medicines,after the lecture,all respondents said that package inserts should be read.The results showed that the lecture had increased people’s interest in OTC medicines.These findings suggest that the lecture was useful for increasing the general public’s awareness of the importance of a pharmacist’s advice on the proper use of OTC medicines.