Investigation of over the Counter Diagnosis and Drug Dispensation in Chemists: A Case Study in Thika Sub-County, Kenya

Ndung’u Isaac Kamau

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16

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Investigation of over the Counter Diagnosis and Drug Dispensation in Chemists: A Case Study in Thika Sub-County, Kenya

Ndung’u Isaac Kamau

Published in American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics (Volume 4, Issue 6)

Received: 22 September 2015 Accepted: 25 September 2015 Published: 12 October 2015

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Abstract

Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines that may be obtained directly by a consumer without a prescription from a healthcare professional, as compared to drugs sold to consumers possessing a valid prescription. In many countries, Kenya included, these drugs are often located on the shelves of stores like any other packaged product. Some drugs may be legally classified as OTC but may only be dispensed by a pharmacist after an assessment of the patient's needs and/or the provision of patient education. OTC drugs are capable of being misused, abused especially where inappropriate drugs and incorrect dosages are given which may lead to short and long-term negative effects. The major concern surrounds the correct diagnosis and the appropriateness of the dispensed drugs and information provided to the consumers. This study focused on the OTC drugs in chemists. It was important to know why people opt for OTC drugs instead of the prescribed drugs. To meet this objective, an observational study was carried out in Thika Sub-county of Kenya to determine why patients prefer the OTC drugs to prescribed drugs. The results showed that the cost of prescription, source of diagnosis information, source of prescription information, amount of income of the respondent and previous experience on the same similar symptoms were determinants of buying OTC drugs. Education levels, age, place of residence, occupation and hospital type near the respondent were the covariates. The results of this study have enabled the researcher to come up with recommendations to the Ministries of Medical Services and that of Public Health on the best policies to use in dispensing OTC drugs.

Published in	American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics (Volume 4, Issue 6)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16
Page(s)	464-470
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Population, Over-the-Counter Drugs, Diagnosis Information, Thika Sub-county

References

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APA Style

Ndung’u Isaac Kamau. (2015). Investigation of over the Counter Diagnosis and Drug Dispensation in Chemists: A Case Study in Thika Sub-County, Kenya. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 4(6), 464-470. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16

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ACS Style

Ndung’u Isaac Kamau. Investigation of over the Counter Diagnosis and Drug Dispensation in Chemists: A Case Study in Thika Sub-County, Kenya. Am. J. Theor. Appl. Stat. 2015, 4(6), 464-470. doi: 10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16

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AMA Style

Ndung’u Isaac Kamau. Investigation of over the Counter Diagnosis and Drug Dispensation in Chemists: A Case Study in Thika Sub-County, Kenya. Am J Theor Appl Stat. 2015;4(6):464-470. doi: 10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16

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@article{10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16,
  author = {Ndung’u Isaac Kamau},
  title = {Investigation of over the Counter Diagnosis and Drug Dispensation in Chemists: A Case Study in Thika Sub-County, Kenya},
  journal = {American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics},
  volume = {4},
  number = {6},
  pages = {464-470},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajtas.20150406.16},
  abstract = {Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines that may be obtained directly by a consumer without a prescription from a healthcare professional, as compared to drugs sold to consumers possessing a valid prescription. In many countries, Kenya included, these drugs are often located on the shelves of stores like any other packaged product. Some drugs may be legally classified as OTC but may only be dispensed by a pharmacist after an assessment of the patient's needs and/or the provision of patient education. OTC drugs are capable of being misused, abused especially where inappropriate drugs and incorrect dosages are given which may lead to short and long-term negative effects. The major concern surrounds the correct diagnosis and the appropriateness of the dispensed drugs and information provided to the consumers. This study focused on the OTC drugs in chemists. It was important to know why people opt for OTC drugs instead of the prescribed drugs. To meet this objective, an observational study was carried out in Thika Sub-county of Kenya to determine why patients prefer the OTC drugs to prescribed drugs. The results showed that the cost of prescription, source of diagnosis information, source of prescription information, amount of income of the respondent and previous experience on the same similar symptoms were determinants of buying OTC drugs. Education levels, age, place of residence, occupation and hospital type near the respondent were the covariates. The results of this study have enabled the researcher to come up with recommendations to the Ministries of Medical Services and that of Public Health on the best policies to use in dispensing OTC drugs.},
 year = {2015}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Investigation of over the Counter Diagnosis and Drug Dispensation in Chemists: A Case Study in Thika Sub-County, Kenya
AU  - Ndung’u Isaac Kamau
Y1  - 2015/10/12
PY  - 2015
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16
T2  - American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics
JF  - American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics
JO  - American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics
SP  - 464
EP  - 470
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2326-9006
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16
AB  - Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines that may be obtained directly by a consumer without a prescription from a healthcare professional, as compared to drugs sold to consumers possessing a valid prescription. In many countries, Kenya included, these drugs are often located on the shelves of stores like any other packaged product. Some drugs may be legally classified as OTC but may only be dispensed by a pharmacist after an assessment of the patient's needs and/or the provision of patient education. OTC drugs are capable of being misused, abused especially where inappropriate drugs and incorrect dosages are given which may lead to short and long-term negative effects. The major concern surrounds the correct diagnosis and the appropriateness of the dispensed drugs and information provided to the consumers. This study focused on the OTC drugs in chemists. It was important to know why people opt for OTC drugs instead of the prescribed drugs. To meet this objective, an observational study was carried out in Thika Sub-county of Kenya to determine why patients prefer the OTC drugs to prescribed drugs. The results showed that the cost of prescription, source of diagnosis information, source of prescription information, amount of income of the respondent and previous experience on the same similar symptoms were determinants of buying OTC drugs. Education levels, age, place of residence, occupation and hospital type near the respondent were the covariates. The results of this study have enabled the researcher to come up with recommendations to the Ministries of Medical Services and that of Public Health on the best policies to use in dispensing OTC drugs.
VL  - 4
IS  - 6
ER  -

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Author Information

Ndung’u Isaac Kamau

Department of Statistics and Computer Sciences, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Ndung’u Isaac Kamau. (2015). Investigation of over the Counter Diagnosis and Drug Dispensation in Chemists: A Case Study in Thika Sub-County, Kenya. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 4(6), 464-470. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16

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ACS Style

Ndung’u Isaac Kamau. Investigation of over the Counter Diagnosis and Drug Dispensation in Chemists: A Case Study in Thika Sub-County, Kenya. Am. J. Theor. Appl. Stat. 2015, 4(6), 464-470. doi: 10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16

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AMA Style

Ndung’u Isaac Kamau. Investigation of over the Counter Diagnosis and Drug Dispensation in Chemists: A Case Study in Thika Sub-County, Kenya. Am J Theor Appl Stat. 2015;4(6):464-470. doi: 10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16

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@article{10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16,
  author = {Ndung’u Isaac Kamau},
  title = {Investigation of over the Counter Diagnosis and Drug Dispensation in Chemists: A Case Study in Thika Sub-County, Kenya},
  journal = {American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics},
  volume = {4},
  number = {6},
  pages = {464-470},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajtas.20150406.16},
  abstract = {Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines that may be obtained directly by a consumer without a prescription from a healthcare professional, as compared to drugs sold to consumers possessing a valid prescription. In many countries, Kenya included, these drugs are often located on the shelves of stores like any other packaged product. Some drugs may be legally classified as OTC but may only be dispensed by a pharmacist after an assessment of the patient's needs and/or the provision of patient education. OTC drugs are capable of being misused, abused especially where inappropriate drugs and incorrect dosages are given which may lead to short and long-term negative effects. The major concern surrounds the correct diagnosis and the appropriateness of the dispensed drugs and information provided to the consumers. This study focused on the OTC drugs in chemists. It was important to know why people opt for OTC drugs instead of the prescribed drugs. To meet this objective, an observational study was carried out in Thika Sub-county of Kenya to determine why patients prefer the OTC drugs to prescribed drugs. The results showed that the cost of prescription, source of diagnosis information, source of prescription information, amount of income of the respondent and previous experience on the same similar symptoms were determinants of buying OTC drugs. Education levels, age, place of residence, occupation and hospital type near the respondent were the covariates. The results of this study have enabled the researcher to come up with recommendations to the Ministries of Medical Services and that of Public Health on the best policies to use in dispensing OTC drugs.},
 year = {2015}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Investigation of over the Counter Diagnosis and Drug Dispensation in Chemists: A Case Study in Thika Sub-County, Kenya
AU  - Ndung’u Isaac Kamau
Y1  - 2015/10/12
PY  - 2015
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16
T2  - American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics
JF  - American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics
JO  - American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics
SP  - 464
EP  - 470
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2326-9006
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20150406.16
AB  - Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines that may be obtained directly by a consumer without a prescription from a healthcare professional, as compared to drugs sold to consumers possessing a valid prescription. In many countries, Kenya included, these drugs are often located on the shelves of stores like any other packaged product. Some drugs may be legally classified as OTC but may only be dispensed by a pharmacist after an assessment of the patient's needs and/or the provision of patient education. OTC drugs are capable of being misused, abused especially where inappropriate drugs and incorrect dosages are given which may lead to short and long-term negative effects. The major concern surrounds the correct diagnosis and the appropriateness of the dispensed drugs and information provided to the consumers. This study focused on the OTC drugs in chemists. It was important to know why people opt for OTC drugs instead of the prescribed drugs. To meet this objective, an observational study was carried out in Thika Sub-county of Kenya to determine why patients prefer the OTC drugs to prescribed drugs. The results showed that the cost of prescription, source of diagnosis information, source of prescription information, amount of income of the respondent and previous experience on the same similar symptoms were determinants of buying OTC drugs. Education levels, age, place of residence, occupation and hospital type near the respondent were the covariates. The results of this study have enabled the researcher to come up with recommendations to the Ministries of Medical Services and that of Public Health on the best policies to use in dispensing OTC drugs.
VL  - 4
IS  - 6
ER  -

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