TABLE 4.
Reasons for prescribing a medication included in the pharmacist prescribing (PP) list or in OTC in case of similar clinical situations.
| Reason to prescribe | In case of identical OTC medication (e.g., cetirizine 10 mg tabs) | In case of similar OTC medication (e.g., acute pain: acetaminophen 1 g VS 500 mg) | In case of OTC medication in the same therapeutic class (e.g., disorder of GIT: mebeverine VS Iberogast®) |
|---|---|---|---|
| OTC: N = 211 (75.6%) | OTC: N = 209(74.9%) | OTC: N = 235 (84.8%) | |
| PP list: N = 68 (24.4%) | PP list: N = 70 (25.1%) | PP list: N = 42 (15.2%) | |
| It allows to deliver an equally effective medication | |||
| OTC medication | 124 (58.8%) | 115 (55.0%) | 121 (51.9%) |
| PP list | 42 (61.8%) | 50 (71.4%) | 27 (64.3%) |
| It is easier | |||
| OTC medication | 119 (56.4%) | 99 (47.4%) | 106 (45.5%) |
| PP list | 45 (66.2%) | 35 (50.0%) | 24 (57.1%) |
| It does not require the payment of the service | |||
| OTC medication | 114 (54.0%) | 93 (44.5%) | 94 (40.3%) |
| PP list | 23 (33.8%) | 26 (37.1%) | 19 (45.2%) |
| It is faster | |||
| OTC medication | 105 (49.8%) | 90 (43.1%) | 98 (42.1%) |
| PP list | 12 (17.6%) | 5 (7.1%) | 6 (14.3%) |
| Other | |||
| OTC medication | 12 (5.7%) | 35 (16.7%) | 38 (16.3%) |
| PP list | 4 (5.9%) | 2 (2.9%) | 2 (4.8%) |
Multiple answers allowed.
*GIT: gastrointestinal tract.