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. 2019 Mar 20;14(3):e0213763.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213763. eCollection 2019.

Knowledge and awareness of nonpharmacist salespersons regarding over-the-counter drug use in patients with chronic kidney disease in Japan

Yuki Kondo  1 , Yoichi Ishitsuka  1 , Nobuhiro Kawabata  2 , Nobuhide Iwamoto  2 , Risa Takahashi  1 , Yuki Narita  3 , Daisuke Kadowaki  4 , Sumio Hirata  3   5 , Satoru Uchino  2 , Tetsumi Irie  1   5
Affiliations

Knowledge and awareness of nonpharmacist salespersons regarding over-the-counter drug use in patients with chronic kidney disease in Japan

Yuki Kondo et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Introduction: 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.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Registered salespersons’ awareness of pharmacotherapy for patients with chronic kidney disease.
OTC, over-the-counter.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Registered salespersons’ knowledge about OTC drugs in patients with CKD.
The box plot shows registered salespersons’ knowledge scores (maximum score: 11, n = 197). In the box plots, the median is denoted by the center horizontal line. The bottom and top of the box show the 25% and 75% rankings, respectively, denoting the interquartile range. The minimum and maximum rankings are denoted by the lower and upper whiskers, respectively. Outliers are denoted by circles. CKD, chronic kidney disease; OTC, over-the-counter.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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