November 2014 Vol. 2 No. 11

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Original Research Article

Physicians’ attitudes and beliefs about the use of over-the-counter medicines. A Survey

Antoaneta Tsvetkova¹*, Anna Todorova² and Valentina Petkova³

¹TRS ”Assistant Pharmacist”, Medical College -Varna
²Department of Pharmaceutical Science and Pharmaceutical Management, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Varna
³Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University –Sofia

*Corresponding Author's E-mail: antoaneta_cvetkova@abv.bg

Accepted October 27, 2014

Abstract

Bulgaria is one of the countries in the EU where health promotion and disease prevention activities are most underestimated. Bulgarians are not active enough in maintaining their health and wellbeing as a result of financial constraints, heavy bureaucracy and poor information. Patients distrust physicians and Bulgarian health system. Therefore, one in ten Bulgarians regularly seeks self-medication. The purpose of this survey is to examine physicians’ attitudes and beliefs about patients’ motivation to seek self-medication with OTC drugs, as well as physicians’ assessment of related benefits and risks. The respondents of this questionnaire survey are GPs and medical specialists working in the town of Varna. The results show that an increasing number of patients seek self-medication motivated by the possibility to control their expenses through the convenient and time-saving purchase of OTC drugs. Self-medication hinders physicians from providing professional health care, and it mainly poses a risk to patients’ health. Therefore, widespread adoption of collaborative health care services is imperative.

Keywords: OTC, prevention, risks, safety, self-medication