Use of non-prescription advice offered to the public by community pharmacists

A study was undertaken to establish whether members of the public use the specific advice offered by community pharmacists relating to minor ailments and non-prescription medicines. Conversations between pharmacists and clients discussing symptoms and researcher-client interviews were recorded and transcribed. Ninety-eight clients who had sought advice either for themselves or someone in their care were interviewed by telephone using a structured instrument. While pharmacists offered a mean of 13.7 information items per client, only 3.3 were later recalled (24 per cent). Clients were more likely to recall procedural advice (P<0.001) and repeated items of information (P<0.01). Over three-quarters of the medicines sold (76.5 per cent) were reported to have been used within the dose range specified by the manufacturer (or recommended by a pharmacist if different). Ten clients were directly referred by the pharmacist to a general practitioner; seven had visited their GP before the interview. A further 30 clients were conditionally referred. Forty-six clients reported the resolution of symptoms on interview and a further 34 reported symptom improvement. All clients, when asked, reported being satisfied with their pharmacy visit.