“One simple question should be enough”: consumers' perceptions of pharmacy protocols

Little research in the United Kingdom has addressed consumers' views about over-the-counter (OTC) medicine purchase. In this study, qualitative telephone interviews were conducted with 40 consumers recruited via two community pharmacies. Consumers' views and spontaneous comments regarding their expectations when making their most recent OTC medicine purchase, their awareness of the need for questioning and their willingness to answer questions about minor ailments were explored. Although the majority of consumers had a degree of awareness of why pharmacy staff might require information, 25 (62.5 per cent) expected to make their most recent purchase without being questioned. Consumers' attitudes to unsolicited questioning appeared to be affected by their perception of whether questioning was necessary. In addition, the majority of consumers seemed to view decisions about medicine purchase as their sole responsibility, rather than perceiving pharmacists to have a professional role. The results also suggested a wide variation in the needs and preferences of individual consumers.