{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,24]],"date-time":"2026-01-24T03:25:29Z","timestamp":1769225129165,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,8]],"date-time":"2025-01-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1736294400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Evaluation Clinical Practice"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title><jats:p>To assess and evaluate consumer awareness and common medication use practices towards OTC analgesics, with a focus on the impact of irrational drug use and its implications for public health and safety. This includes identifying gaps in knowledge, evaluating the potential consequences of misuse, and discussing how these findings can inform future educational initiatives and policy development to promote safer medication practices.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>This was a cross\u2010sectional, semi\u2010quantitative survey of 750 Saudi volunteers both males and females aged between 18 and 65 years. A validated self\u2010administered questionnaire was used among randomly selected volunteers with a history of OTC analgesic use.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>A total of 750 questionnaires were administered and the response rate was measured to be 75.6%. More than 50% of the study population used OTC analgesics without a prescription and reported using analgesics as soon as they start experiencing any pain. Paracetamol was found to be the most predominantly used analgesic. The most common indication of OTC analgesic use was reported for headache and toothache whereas irrational use of analgesics in terms of dose, frequency and indication was found to be to the extent of 50%. Primary source of information related to OTC analgesic use was obtained from pharmacy personnel (31.7%), and Patient Insert Leaflets (PIL) (28.7%). Majority of the respondents (64.3%) didn't know the safe maximum dose of Paracetamol, whereas 73.3% used to stop medicine only after experiencing some side effects. 52.4% of the respondents were not aware about the most common side effects, and potential interactions of analgesic medications.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Our study highlights the menace of self\u2010medication practices and irrational use of OTC analgesic by the study participants. Immediate remedial measure need to be taken to discourage self\u2010medication and improve rational use of OTC drugs which can be achieved by focusing on improving the consumers' awareness of self\u2010medication and the rational use of medications.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/jep.14298","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,8]],"date-time":"2025-01-08T07:58:27Z","timestamp":1736323107000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Assessment and Evaluation of Consumer Awareness and Self\u2010Medication Use Practices Towards Over the Counter (OTC) Analgesics. A Cross\u2010Sectional Study in Abha\u2010Saudi Arabia"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"31","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0064-7870","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Arwa","family":"Khaled","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy King Khalid University  Abha Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_9_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2147\/RMHP.S312559"},{"issue":"3","key":"e_1_2_9_3_1","first-page":"267","article-title":"Evaluating Knowledge of Over the Counter Analgesics Among Bahraini People","volume":"8","author":"AL\u2010Qallaf M.","year":"2015","journal-title":"Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7717\/peerj.3990"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1365-2710.2002.00416.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"B. A.Almohammed\u201cFrequency and Knowledge of Analgesics Self\u2010Use and Their Adverse Effects in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia \u201dCureus (2023) https:\/\/www.cureus.com\/articles\/131205-frequency-and-knowledge-of-analgesics-self-use-and-their-adverse-effects-in-the-eastern-province-of-saudi-arabia.","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.33344"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1750-4732-2-2"},{"issue":"1","key":"e_1_2_9_8_1","first-page":"13","article-title":"Use and Abuse of Over\u2010the\u2010Counter Analgesic Agents","volume":"23","author":"Abbott F. V.","year":"1998","journal-title":"Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2147\/PPA.S426290"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1071\/HC12288"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_11_1","first-page":"337","article-title":"A Questionnaire Based Survey Study for the Evaluation of Knowledge of Pakistani University Teachers Regarding Their Awareness About Ibuprofen as an Over the Counter Analgesic","volume":"71","author":"Chen J.","year":"2014","journal-title":"Polish Pharmaceutical Society"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s43094-020-0018-5"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsps.2018.11.004"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.12669\/pjms.311.6526"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_15_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0114644"},{"issue":"4","key":"e_1_2_9_16_1","first-page":"1429","article-title":"Assessment of Rational Use of Drugs and Self\u2010Medication in Turkey: A Pilot Study From Elaz\u0131g and Its Suburbs","volume":"29","author":"Nayir T.","year":"2016","journal-title":"Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_17_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s40545-021-00391-y"}],"container-title":["Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1111\/jep.14298","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,17]],"date-time":"2025-07-17T02:27:47Z","timestamp":1752719267000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/jep.14298"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,8]]},"references-count":16,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,2]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1111\/jep.14298"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/jep.14298","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["1356-1294","1365-2753"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1356-1294","type":"print"},{"value":"1365-2753","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,8]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2024-09-15","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2024-12-18","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2025-01-08","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"e14298"}}