Generic versus brand-name over-the-counter analgesics: knowledge and attitudes among Swedish pharmacy customers

Background Due to a liberalisation reform in 2009, the availability of over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics has increased significantly in the Swedish market over the past decade. With the increasing number of generic products available on the market and the possibility of buying OTC drugs from non-pharmacy outlets, a key to safe drug use is that consumers possess the necessary knowledge to differentiate between the different brands and choose the appropriate drug for their ailments. The aim of this study was to investigate Swedish consumers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards generic OTC analgesics. Methods A sample of 209 Swedish adults (66% women; mean age 43.1 years) who bought OTC analgesics at a community pharmacy in one of the country’s three largest cities responded to a structured questionnaire. The questions related to knowledge of active substances, the use and choice of OTC analgesics (generic or original brand), attitudes towards generic OTC analgesics, information received about OTC analgesics and experience with generic substitution of prescription drugs. Results Almost one in five reported weekly use of OTC analgesics, and 32% assigned minimum three out of four active substances to the correct brand(s) of OTC analgesics. Among the 50 participants (24%) who assigned all four active substances correctly, it was predominantly women and participants with higher education. Four out of five participants were positive towards the cheaper brands, and 69% reportedly chose cheaper generic brands over more expensive brands. Knowledge about the active substances of different brands was associated with positive attitudes towards generic products. Conclusion Swedish pharmacy customers have to a varying extent the knowledge to differentiate between different brands of commonly used OTC analgesics in terms of active substances. There is a predominantly positive attitude towards generic OTC analgesics, although some consider generic drugs to be inferior and stay loyal to the original brands.

The Use of a Decision Support System in Swedish Pharmacies to Identify Potential Drug-Related Problems—Effects of a National Intervention Focused on Reviewing Elderly Patients’ Prescriptions

In pharmacies in Sweden, a clinical decision support system called Electronic Expert Support (EES) is available to analyse patients’ prescriptions for potential drug-related problems. A nationwide intervention was performed in 2018 among all Swedish pharmacy chains to increase the use of EES among patients 75 years or older. The aim of this research was to study the use of EES in connection with the national intervention in order to describe any effects of the intervention, to understand how pharmacists use EES and to identify any barriers and facilitators for the use of EES by pharmacists for elderly patients. Data on the number and categories of EES analyses, alerts, resolved alerts and active pharmacies was provided by the Swedish eHealth Agency. The effects of the intervention were analysed using interrupted time series regression. A web-based questionnaire comprising 20 questions was sent to 1500 pharmacists randomly selected from all pharmacies in Sweden. The study shows that pharmacists use and appreciate EES and that the national intervention had a clear effect during the week of the intervention and seems to have contributed to a faster increase in pharmacists’ use of EES during the year to follow. The study also identified several issues or barriers for using EES.

Swedish Pharmacy Students’ Expectations and Perceptions of Their Education and Future Pharmacy Profession

Distance education is becoming more and more common, and today distance education is well established within academic settings. The aim was to investigate first-year pharmacy students’ expectations and perceptions of web-based pharmacy programs and of their future profession. Furthermore, student characteristics were compared over time. A questionnaire was distributed to all first-year students admitted to the pharmacy programs at Umeå University in 2017. The students were asked questions about their background, motives for choosing pharmacy education, and their expectations and perceptions of their education and profession. Factors of most importance when choosing the education were: the education is interesting, leads to an interesting job, and is web-based. The students’ expectations of the education were high, and they want to learn as much as possible and be well prepared for their future profession. Regarding the students’ perception of their future profession, three themes were identified: to help other people, professional development, and employment related issues. Student characteristics have changed over the years, suggesting that the web-based pharmacy education and the flexibility it entails attracts other groups of students today compared with when the programs started.