Management of allergic rhinitis in the community pharmacy: identifying the reasons behind medication self-selection.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Community pharmacists have a key role to play in the management of allergic rhinitis (AR). Their role is especially important because the majority of medications used to treat AR are available for purchase over-the-counter (OTC), allowing patients to self-select their own medications and bypass the pharmacists. Patients' self-selection often results in suboptimal treatment selection, undertreated AR and poor clinical outcomes. In order for pharmacists to optimise the care for AR patients in the pharmacy, pharmacists need to be able to identify patient cohorts who self-select and are at high risk of mismanagement.

Objectives

This study aimed to compare the demographics, clinical characteristics and medication selected, between pharmacy customers who choose to self-

SUBMITTER: Tan R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6207357 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul-Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature