Are customers requesting medicines by name less likely to be advised or referred? Provision of over-the-counter H2-receptor antagonists and alginate products from pharmacies

Abstract

Objectives: To identify selected factors which may influence the provision of over-the-counter alginate and H2-receptor antagonist (H2RA) products, advice and referral from community pharmacies, and to establish if referrals of customers with dyspepsia made by pharmacy staff were in line with published referral guidelines. Setting: Customers supplied with over-the-counter alginates or H2RAs by 39 community pharmacies in Scotland and Wales in a six-month period. Method: A structured questionnaire was issued to customers provided with an alginate or H2RA from community pharmacies, with one reminder sent to non-responders. Key findings: A total of 608 completed questionnaires were returned (79 per cent response): 523 customers (86 per cent) stated they requested the product they were supplied with by name, with previous use being the most frequently cited reason. Customers who requested a product by name were less likely to receive advice about the supplied medicine, less likely to be referred to a medical practitioner (GP) and also less likely to receive lifestyle advice than customers who did not request a named product. Overall, only 30 per cent of patients who met criteria for referral to a GP were referred. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that more emphasis should be placed on referrals by pharmacy staff and on the provision of lifestyle and product-specific advice, particularly when products are requested by name. The acceptability of these actions to pharmacy customers is not known.