Open AccessKnowledge and awareness of nonpharmacist salespersons regarding over-the-counter drug use in patients with chronic kidney disease in Japan
Author(s) -
Yuki Kondo,
Yoichi Ishitsuka,
Nobuhiro Kawabata,
Nobuhide Iwamoto,
Rena Takahashi,
Yuki Narita,
Daisuke Kadowaki,
Sumío Hirata,
Satoru Uchino,
Tetsumi Irie
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0213763
Subject(s) - medicine , intervention (counseling) , pharmacist , drug , kidney disease , over the counter , family medicine , pharmacy , pharmacology , medical prescription , nursing
Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) depend on advice from healthcare professionals to avoid using unsuitable over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Recently, qualified, registered nonpharmacist salespersons became licensed to sell OTC drugs in Japan. However, registered salespersons’ knowledge and awareness of precautions regarding unsuitable OTC drugs for use in patients with CKD are unclear. Objectives This study aimed to clarify the awareness, knowledge, and implementation of precautions by registered salespersons regarding OTC drugs used by patients with CKD. Additionally, we evaluated the change of registered salespersons’ knowledge and awareness of this topic generated by a pharmacist intervention. Methods A questionnaire survey and pharmacist intervention were applied to 175 registered salespersons. The intervention comprised a 50-minute lecture imparted by a pharmacist who was trained in nephrology. The knowledge, awareness, and implementation of precautions by participants with respect to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and antacids were evaluated before and after the intervention. Results Approximately half of the registered salespersons reported previous experience with selling OTC drugs that were inappropriate for patients with CKD (NSAIDs, 48.0%; antacids, 39.7%). Few participants recognized the need to check renal function when selling those drugs to such patients (NSAIDs, 25.7%; antacids, 47.5%). The registered salespersons’ awareness and knowledge were significantly higher after the intervention than before it. Conclusion The results indicate that before the intervention, the registered salespersons had low levels of awareness and knowledge regarding OTC drug use in patients with CKD despite having prior experience selling unsuitable OTC drugs. However, the pharmacist intervention improved the registered salespersons’ awareness and knowledge. The educational program for registered salespersons might be necessary to prevent inappropriate OTC drug use by patients with CKD.