Does the advertisement in Swiss pharmacy windows rest on evidence-based medicine? An observational study.

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

Preview

Text e069186.full.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial (CC-BY-NC). Download (423kB) | Preview

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.

Interest & Impact

Downloads

2 since deposited on 26 Sep 2023
2 in the past 12 months

Citations

5 Citations in Web of Science ®
6 Citations in Scopus

Search

in Google Scholar™

Services

Actions (login required)

Edit item

Actions (login required)

Edit item