Promoting safe use of over-the-counter medications among adults in Finland: a literature review

Abstract

Over the counter medications (OTC) are drugs bought in any pharmacies or online drug stores which are not prescribed by medical professionals, also known as self-medication or non-prescription drugs. The purpose of this study is to describe the safe use of over-the-counter medications among adults, identify the challenges associated with safe use and patient safety in Finland. The aim is to increase awareness about OTC medication misuse and to suggest strategies that can be used to promote the safe use of OTC medications A literature review was chosen as the research method. Scholarly and academic journal were collected through electronic literature search conducted in five main databases namely, ProQuest Central, CINAHL, Elsevier(ScienceDirect), Google Scholar and Google search. Six articles were then chosen for a thorough review. The results of these articles were analysed with the inductive content analysis method. The results have demonstrated that otc medication can be promoted safely by executing over-the-counter safety practices, patient counselling and OTC medication awareness. Most OTC medication misused in Finland include ibuprofen, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) or aspirin, paracetamol, ketoprofen, potassium chloride, and naproxen. OTC medications misused among Finnish adults resulted to drug interactions, lack of knowledge about OTC medication use and unsolicited advice from other people and online. Keywords: Over-the-counter (OTC) medications, non-prescription drugs, misuse, safe use, self-care, self-medication.