{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T11:02:38Z","timestamp":1789383758280,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789344000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"SIFAC"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pharmacy"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Abdominal pain is one of the most common complaints in community pharmacy, yet how individuals define it, which symptoms they associate with it, and how they manage it through self-care remains poorly characterized. Objective: This study aimed to investigate individual perceptions, definitions, and self-care behaviors related to abdominal pain among adults attending Italian community pharmacies and to explore healthcare-seeking behaviors and needs. Methods: A cross-sectional observational survey was conducted among adults attending community pharmacies across Italy. Eligible participants were aged \u226518 years and provided consent for data processing; individuals with cognitive or language barriers were excluded. Thirty-three SIFAC clinical pharmacists administered an expert-reviewed 18-item digital questionnaire (October\u2013December 2025), covering pain perception, healthcare needs, and self-care behaviors. Data were analyzed descriptively. Results: 406 pharmacy customers were enrolled (66.7% female; mean age 44.3 years). Over 93% reported at least one episode in the previous 12 months. The term was applied heterogeneously across localizations, symptom profiles, and attributed causes. The pharmacist was the preferred professional for mild-to-moderate episodes (29.9%) and high-intensity episodes without alarm signs (40.2%). Conversely, the physician was most frequently consulted for high-intensity episodes with alarm signs (53.4%) and first-time episodes (16.1%). Self-medication was reported by 89.4%, with probiotics and intestinal flora products (57.4%), antispasmodics (43.8%), and antacids and gastric acid suppressants (32.5%) most commonly used. Despite this, 55.3% expressed insecurity about autonomous management. Conclusions: The findings indicate that community pharmacists represent an important point of contact in the initial management of abdominal pain among pharmacy customers. The heterogeneous symptom profiles, widespread use of self-medication, and uncertainty reported by many respondents about autonomous management support the potential value of structured symptom assessment, personalized counselling, and clear guidance on when medical evaluation is warranted.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pharmacy14060133","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T09:34:01Z","timestamp":1789378441000},"page":"133","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Individual Perceptions and Self-Care Practices for Abdominal Pain: A Cross-Sectional Survey Conducted in Italian Community Pharmacies"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Corrado","family":"Giua","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Societ\u00e0 Italiana Farmacia Clinica (SIFAC), Viale Regina Margherita 30, 09124 Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"funding-acquisition","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4630-2712","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nicolina Paola","family":"Floris","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Societ\u00e0 Italiana Farmacia Clinica (SIFAC), Viale Regina Margherita 30, 09124 Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Lisa","family":"Boschetti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Societ\u00e0 Italiana Farmacia Clinica (SIFAC), Viale Regina Margherita 30, 09124 Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Lorenzo","family":"Turati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Societ\u00e0 Italiana Farmacia Clinica (SIFAC), Viale Regina Margherita 30, 09124 Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"formal-analysis","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"name":"SGCP","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Enrico","family":"Keber","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Societ\u00e0 Italiana Farmacia Clinica (SIFAC), Viale Regina Margherita 30, 09124 Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"formal-analysis","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1864","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cgh.2020.06.065","article-title":"Prevalence and Characteristics of Abdominal Pain in the United States","volume":"19","author":"Lakhoo","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin. 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