Drugs and non-medical products sold in pharmacy: information and advertising

Abstract

This paper is the third part of a survey about patient information and the use of patient package leaflet. The aim of this research section is to analyse the role of the pharmacy and the pharmacist in the health-care field. By means of answers of interviewed people, informations were obtained about the purchase of drugs and other products in pharmacy, the consumer requirements, the non-medical products and self-medication channels of information, the patient–physician and patient–pharmacist quality of communication and the role of advertising for drugs and other products sold in pharmacy. From this survey, it emerged that most of the respondents go to pharmacy to purchase drugs exclusively and only a small number of people go to purchase other products. The pharmacist does not play a remarkable role in providing health information to the patient.