The vital importance of OTC counselling

For more than a decade, the Medical Post Survey on OTC Counselling & Recommendations has highlighted the physician’s importance as counsellors, advisors and influencers in the area of nonprescription products.With the participation of clinicians across Canada, this important survey tracks and monitors which OTC products community doctors are recommending when they advise patients–providing helpful insights used by both your fellow doctors and the nonprescription industry. See the full results here. More OTC questions from patientsIn our survey doctors were asked: Thinking about your own practice, compared to five years ago, how often are you speaking with patients about OTC products today?69% About the same amount20% More often10% Not as oftenMostly supportive of pharmacist prescribingDoctors were asked to indicate their level of agreement with the following statement: Minor ailment assessment and prescribing by pharmacists is proving to be an effective way to relieve pressure on the healthcare system.62% Strongly or somewhat agree13% Neither agree nor disagree21% Strongly or somewhat disagreeOf those that disagree that minor ailment assessment and prescribing by pharmacists is an effective way to relieve pressure on the healthcare system, what are their reasons:88% I am concerned that pharmacists may misdiagnose patients and / or miss a more serious diagnosis70% I am concerned about potential financial conflicts of interest for pharmacists65% I am concerned that pharmacists may overprescribe medication38% It creates more paperwork for my practice26% I am concerned about the lack of separate, private areas for pharmacists to provide consultations on minor ailmentsThe 2025 Survey on OTC Counselling & Recommendations was an online survey fielded between October 2024 and January 2025 by the research division of EnsembleIQ. A total of 802 Canadian doctors responded to the survey for a margin for error of +/-3.45% at the 95% confidence level. Thank you to all who participated in the 2025 OTC Counselling & Recommendations Survey.

The vital importance of OTC counselling

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