Känzig, Tanja; Potterat, Melisa; Corpataux, Thibault; Ackermann, Simone Daniele; Chaix, Edouard; Gibilisco, Andrea; Portmann, Aurelia; Roberts, Judith; Schaller, Amandine; Wenger, Nicolas; Wolffers, Oliver; Beguelin, Charles; Genne, Daniel (2023). Does the advertisement in Swiss pharmacy windows rest on evidence-based medicine? An observational study. BMJ open, 13(9), e069186. BMJ Publishing Group 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-069186
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OBJECTIVES
The aim of the study was to analyse the proportion of evidence-based medication displayed in pharmacies and compare it between the different linguistic regions of the country, at different times of the year to determine the amount of proven effective medications indirectly recommended to the public in different parts of Switzerland.
DESIGN
This is an observational study conducted by medical doctors in the department of internal medicine at the Spitalzentrum Biel, Switzerland.
SETTING
The observation took place from July 2019 to May 2020. From a total of 1800 pharmacies in Switzerland, 68 different pharmacies were selected across the 3 main linguistic regions and the medication on display in their windows were examined 4 times a year regarding their efficacy. The displays of medication with or without evidence-based efficacy were described using absolute numbers and proportions and compared between the different linguistic regions at different seasons using χ2.
PARTICIPANTS
There were no human or animal participants involved in this study.
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES
The primary outcome is the proportion of medication displayed in pharmacy windows with a proven effectiveness in medical literature. The secondary outcome was the variability of the primary outcome over time (seasonal changes), over the different linguistic regions of Switzerland and between chains and privately owned pharmacies.
RESULTS
We examined 970 medications and found that over the whole year, there is a high proportion of non-evidence-based drugs (56,9%) displayed in pharmacies. Swiss German cantons display significantly more non-evidence-based medications in winter. We found no statistical difference for other seasons or between chains and privately owned pharmacies.
CONCLUSION
Pharmacies in Switzerland tend to display significantly more non-evidence-based drugs, thus indirectly recommending them to the public. In a time of necessary expansion of self-medication by the population, this could incite consumers to buy drugs without proven effectiveness.
Item Type: |
Journal Article (Original Article) |
|---|---|
Division/Institute: |
04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Intensive Care, Emergency Medicine and Anaesthesiology (DINA) > University Emergency Center |
UniBE Contributor: |
Känzig, Tanja Guadalupe |
Subjects: |
600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health |
ISSN: |
2044-6055 |
Publisher: |
BMJ Publishing Group |
Language: |
English |
Submitter: |
Pubmed Import |
Date Deposited: |
26 Sep 2023 10:17 |
Last Modified: |
29 Oct 2023 02:24 |
Publisher DOI: |
10.1136/bmjopen-2022-069186 |
PubMed ID: |
37730413 |
Uncontrolled Keywords: |
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY INTERNAL MEDICINE PUBLIC HEALTH |
BORIS DOI: |
10.48350/186444 |
URI: |
https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/186444 |
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