Factors Contributing to Pharmacist's Selection and Recommendation of “Over the Counter Drugs” In Lebanon: An Empirical Study

Abstract

Abstract. The aim of the current study is to identify the factors that affect the selection of" Over- the Counter-Drugs" (OTC), specially the factors that contribute most to OTC recommendation. Furthermore, this studyexamined the effect of pharmacist demographics: years of experience, ownership, qualification and pharmacieslocation, on the selection of OTC drugs.A pilot study was conducted to specify the conditions for which pharmacists recommend OTC drugs, theavailable OTC drugs, as well as the first line OTC drugs that will be selected for each condition. It also discussesthe factors that determine the selection of OTC drugs. The results of the pilot study were used to develop thequantitative instrument, filled by 574 pharmacists through personal interviews which were conducted by 10 salesrepresentatives working in seven Lebanese districts. Factor analysis and Cronbach's a-value assessed the validityof the research constructs, and generated three groups of factors described as, product-related factors, patientrelatedfactors, and commercial -related factors.The study also indicated that there are significant differences among Lebanese districts in respect to thefactors that contribute to a Pharmacist's selection of OTC drugs. The results also concluded that there aresignificant differences in the factors that contribute to the selection of OTC drugs in respect to pharmaciesownership and Pharmacist's qualifications, but no significant differences are found in respect to the pharmacists'years of experience, recommendations for pharmaceutical companies and future research directions are alsopresented.