Patient Knowledge Regarding Paracetamol at An Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinic in Switzerland: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: To investigate patient knowledge regarding the use and risks of paracetamol. Methods: Over one month in 2023, patients attending an outpatient internal medicine clinic were invited to an anonymous survey. The survey consisted of a 15-item questionnaire including five knowledge questions about paracetamol and a list of ten medicines to test the patients’ ability to identify paracetamol containing products. A knowledge score was calculated and characterized as “good”, “satisfactory”, or “inadequate”. Results: Among the 250 participants (54% older than 45 years, 45% women), 169 answered all questions and were included in the score evaluation. The median score was 4, with 88% scoring inadequately. Most respondents identified correctly paracetamol’s indications (pain and fever, 90% and 52%, respectively), while 37% chose the correct maximum daily dose (4g). Higher scores were reached by younger participants (p=0.02, r=0.18), women (p=0.002, r=0.24), and participants who were informed about paracetamol (p=0.001, r=0.25), had paracetamol at home (p<0.001, r=0.34) or had used it before (p=0.002, r=0.24), compared to those who did not. Two preparations were correctly identified by the majority as containing paracetamol or not. Conclusions: The survey revealed gaps in patients’ knowledge regarding paracetamol, in particular regarding the identification of products containing paracetamol. By identifying these gaps, strategies such as better labeling, boxed warnings, or package size restrictions could be implemented to improve patient awareness with the aim to reduce the risk of accidental paracetamol overdose.