Public Perspectives on Over-the-Counter (OTC) Practices: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Background: The incidence of usage of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs is drastically increasing day by day. Over-the-counter drugs are medicines that are safe and effective for use by the general public without a prescription. In India till date, there are no specific unifying regulations related to use and sale of OTC products and this impacts both the accessibility to better health care and patients' safety due to inappropriate use. The aim behind this study is to assess the perception of OTC practices among general public. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the general public’s knowledge, attitudes, and behavior about the safe use of OTC medicine. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered online questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised five sections: demographic information, knowledge, attitudes, practice, and stocking of OTC medicines. Data were coded and entered in EXCEL and SPSS databases for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 347 participants were enrolled in the study. A total of 335 students returned a completed questionnaire. The students had a mean knowledge score of 7.6 out of 12, with more than 22.5% having good knowledge (> 9), 66% having moderate knowledge (5-8), and only a small percentage (11.5%) with poor knowledge. Almost all students (96.3%) had a positive attitude toward OTC medicine use. Few of the students practiced improper habits in terms of OTC medicine use, such as not reading the instructions or taking more than the recommended dose. Awareness of proper OTC medicine use among students in institutions of higher learning is necessary to prevent the rise of inappropriate user practices. Conclusion: Self-medication is widely practiced among the majority (55.3%) of the participants. Hence awareness of proper OTC medicine use in the community is necessary to prevent the rise of inappropriate user practice.