{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T21:55:40Z","timestamp":1789422940308,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]],"date-time":"2026-02-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770249600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diseases"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Introduction: Minor digestive ailments are a common reason for individuals to visit pharmacies, and can be efficiently managed through structured pharmaceutical advice. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of advice provided by pharmacists in community pharmacies from the perspectives of both patients and pharmacists. The primary focus of the study was not on assessing the effectiveness of a specific medication, but rather on the pharmaceutical advice provided. Materials and Methods: This prospective multicenter observational study was conducted between January and March 2025 in community pharmacies across Poland among adult patients with dyspepsia without alarm symptoms and included two visits: an initial visit and a follow-up phone call after 7\u201314 days. Symptom severity across seven domains was assessed using a GSRS-based tool, and data on adherence, treatment regimen, patient satisfaction, and acceptable costs of the two-visit service were collected. Statistical analyses (p &lt; 0.05) using both parametric and non-parametric tests were performed on data from 100 participants who completed the study, with cost data serving as a proxy for willingness to pay. Results: Most patients (92.7%) reported symptom improvement, with a median time to relief of 3 days and good treatment adherence. The greatest benefits were observed for abdominal pain and flatulence, and higher baseline symptom severity was consistently associated with greater improvement. Service acceptability was high, and patients\u2019 reported willingness to pay suggests perceived value and potential economic feasibility of the service. Conclusions: Structured pharmaceutical advice for digestive ailments (including triage, education, management plans, and monitoring of effects) led to rapid and clinically significant improvements in most patients. This approach demonstrates high adherence rates and positive acceptability. The stability of effects across different demographic groups, along with a predictable pattern of changes in various domains, supports the expansion of this service and customization of educational messages.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diseases14020059","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]],"date-time":"2026-02-05T16:30:47Z","timestamp":1770309047000},"page":"59","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Assessment of the Effectiveness of Pharmaceutical Advice in Selected Digestive Disorders: Perspectives of Patients and Pharmacists as Part of a Pilot \u201cMinor Ailments\u201d Service"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8966-3799","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Piotr","family":"Merks","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Cardinal Stefan Wyszy\u0144ski University, 01-938 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1434-2138","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Urszula","family":"Religioni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"R\u00e9gis","family":"Vaillancourt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, 01-938 Warsaw, Poland"},{"name":"The Polish Pharmacy Practice Research Network (PPPRN), 01-938 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9127-7368","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dariusz","family":"\u015awietlik","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Biostatistics and Neural Networks, Medical University of Gda\u0144sk, 80-210 Gda\u0144sk, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7646-7430","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Katarzyna","family":"Plagens-Rotman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Pediatric, Adolescent Gynecology and Sexology, Division of Gynecology, Department of Gynecology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznan, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ewelina","family":"Drelich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Polish Pharmacy Practice Research Network (PPPRN), 01-938 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6129-2356","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mariola","family":"Borowska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Piotr","family":"Bromber","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Justyna","family":"Ka\u017amierczak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Polish Pharmacy Practice Research Network (PPPRN), 01-938 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eliza","family":"Blicharska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathobiochemistry and Interdisciplinary Applications of Ion Chromatography, Medical University of Lublin, 20-400 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pawe\u0142","family":"Piatkiewicz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, 01-938 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aneta","family":"Kr\u00f3lak-Uli\u0144ska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Unit, W\u0119gr\u00f3w Regional Hospital, 01-100 W\u0119gr\u00f3w, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4731-1565","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rados\u0142aw","family":"Sierpi\u0144ski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Administrative Law and Local Government, Cardinal Stefan Wyszy\u0144ski University, 01-938 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sebastian","family":"Sikorski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Administrative Law and Local Government, Cardinal Stefan Wyszy\u0144ski University, 01-938 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3896-1053","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zbigniew","family":"Doniec","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Respiratory Pathophysiology, Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, 34-700 Rabka-Zdr\u00f3j, Poland"},{"name":"Medical Institute, University of Applied Sciences, 34-400 Nowy Targ, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4172","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-54716-3","article-title":"Global prevalence of functional dyspepsia according to Rome criteria, 1990\u20132020: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"14","author":"Lee","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Merks, P., Kowalczuk, A., Howell, A., Bia\u0142oszewski, A., Strocka, J., Krajewska, E., Pinkas, J., Ostrowski, J., Staniszewska, A., and Neumann-Podczaska, A. (2024). Advancing Pharmaceutical Care in Community Pharmacies in Poland: A Blueprint for Enhanced Patient Care Quality. Healthcare, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare12212109"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1697","DOI":"10.1136\/gutjnl-2022-327737","article-title":"British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines on the management of functional dyspepsia","volume":"71","author":"Black","year":"2022","journal-title":"Gut"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1730","DOI":"10.14309\/ajg.0000000000002968","article-title":"ACG Clinical Guideline: Treatment of Helicobacter pylori Infection","volume":"119","author":"Chey","year":"2024","journal-title":"Am. J. 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