Improving the provision of OTC medication information in community pharmacies in Poland

Background An informed or shared decision-making model is desirable to support the choice of over-the-counter (OTC) medications in pharmacies: it respects patient empowerment in self-medication. Such a model is achievable provided that pharmacists are a credible, competent information source open to patient needs. Objective To study the dependencies among selected factors that may influence the provision of OTC medication information. The study was conducted from the perspective of a community pharmacist. Method The study consisted of an auditorium survey with a self-administered questionnaire. We attempted to determine the relationships among three selected constructs: patient centredness (four items), competence (four items), and provision of OTC medication information (six items) as latent variables. We analysed hypothetical relationships among the observable variables and latent variables using structural equation modelling. Main outcome measure Selected factors that may influence the provision of OTC medication information. Results In all, 1496 pharmacists took part in the study. The model demonstrated adequate fit (χ² = 198.39, df = 64). The patient-centredness construct was demonstrated to have a strong direct positive impact on the provision of OTC medication information construct (β = 0.77, P < 0.05). Provision of OTC medication information was also shown to have a strong direct effect on the competence variable (β = 0.90, P < 0.05). Conclusion If a pharmacist is patient centred, there is a greater possibility that they will provide information about OTC medicines; that may influence the pharmacist’s feelings about their ability to cope with patient initiatives and enhance the pharmacist’s selfperceived competence.