Consumer Likelihood to Seek Information on OTC Medicines

There is concern as to whether the public use OTC (over-the-counter) medicines with due diligence. The objective was to quantify the likelihood and extent people would seek information on OTC medicines in relation to 10 non-medicine products as a surrogate of the importance consumers place on them....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pharmacy 2023-08, Vol.11 (4), p.128
Main Authors: Taylor, Jeffrey G, Ayosanmi, Oluwasola S, Sansgiry, Sujit S, Perepelkin, Jason P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brochures
Consumer behavior
Consumers
Dosage and administration
familiarity
information demand
Information sources
Information-seeking behavior
Internet access
Medicine
Nonprescription drugs
OTC medicines
Readability
self-medication
Surveys
Television sets
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Summary:There is concern as to whether the public use OTC (over-the-counter) medicines with due diligence. The objective was to quantify the likelihood and extent people would seek information on OTC medicines in relation to 10 non-medicine products as a surrogate of the importance consumers place on them. Citizens of one Canadian province estimated the likelihood and extent (scale of 1 to 10) they would search for information when considering a purchase. The survey had two lists—a MIXED products list (5 OTC medicine categories and 10 non-medicine products) and an OTC MEDICINES list (15 categories). Five hundred and seventy-five surveys were obtained (response rate 19.2 percent). The average age was 63.0 years and 61.6 percent were female. The mean search likelihood for the 15 products on the MIXED list ranged from 2.2 to 7.4. There was more intention to search for information involving OTC medicines (mean = 5.0) than non-medicine products (mean = 4.1). There was a weak positive correlation in search likelihood relative to OTC medicine familiarity. This study revealed that the likelihood of searching for information prior to purchase is not particularly robust. With a plethora of information currently available to consumers, motivation to access it is what may need attention.
ISSN:2226-4787
2226-4787
DOI:10.3390/pharmacy11040128