Objectives: To determine the influence of pharmacists on customers who have to decide between\nOver the Counter products in independently owned Maltese pharmacies. Methods: 20 managing\npharmacists in independently owned Maltese pharmacies were interviewed. The interviews were\nrecorded, transcribed verbatim and the data were coded. The main categories and subcategories\nwere extracted and interrelated by using the grounded theory of action approach. Key findings\nPharmacists dedicate time to ensure the right OTC is received by their patients. Before recommending\nan OTC medication the pharmacists ask key questions, which help them determine if an\nOTC is appropriate for the patient. The Maltese pharmacists engage their patients in a discussion\nbefore recommending an OTC product. In order to ensure that the patients are following their advice,\npharmacists use different techniques. Whenever the patient might want to purchase an OTC, which\ncould interfere with their medication regimen or might not be appropriate from the age point of\nview, then pharmacist intervenes accordingly. Each pharmacist offered specific examples how they\nconvince their patients to purchase the correct medication. The pharmacists provided specific examples\nhow they decide to select a specific OTC medicine and what type of questions were asked\nbefore taking a decision. In order to ensure their patients have the best access to the health care,\nmany pharmacists embraced other roles and services, such as measuring and monitoring the blood\npressure and glucose levels, determining the correct weight management product. Conclusions: The\nanalyzed data highlight that Maltese community pharmacists play an important role in counseling\npatients on their choice of OTC products. The analysis has also identified some useful counseling\ntechniques, which has been used by pharmacists for prescription medications. However, the Maltese\npharmacists use these counseling techniques on a larger scale. It seems likely that many pharmacists\nare embracing more additional roles to ensure their population receives the best clinical ser-vices. Before dispensing an OTC medication, pharmacists use their clinical knowledge.
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