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Self-medication of upper gastrointestinal symptoms with hydrotalcite: a noninterventional community pharmacy study on drug usage and patient satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE
Acid-related gastrointestinal symptoms are widely prevalent. These complaints are often self-medicated with antacids. For the community pharmacy setting little is known about how patients' perceptions of self-treating symptoms are met, e.g., via patient satisfaction. Such outcomes are difficult to determine in clinical trials, therefore, non-interventional studies (NIS) are one applicable method for gaining data under real-world conditions. This study was conducted to investigate: (1) characteristics of gastrointestinal symptoms and patients' global health status, (2) drug usage and symptom relief, and (3) patient satisfaction with the medication.


METHODS
This prospective, cross-sectional NIS was performed in cooperation with 137 community pharmacies in Germany. Participants were recruited from customers, after they had purchased the antacid, and were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire. Patient satisfaction with hydrotalcite was assessed by the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM) on the scales effectiveness, side effects, convenience, and global satisfaction.


RESULTS
548 patients answered the questionnaire. The following symptoms were reported most frequently: heartburn (65%) and acid regurgitation (37%). In comparison to the general population, more participants rated their global health in lower categories, e.g., satisfying (35% vs. 23%) or poor (12% vs. 5%). Drug usage patterns were found to be in accordance with the principles of self-medication. The majority of patients reported a noticeable symptom relief within 15 min after drug intake. TSQM mean scores were high in all four scales; an excellent score was achieved in the scale side effects. Study results also revealed that the self-perceived global health status of the patients had an impact on their global satisfaction with the medication.


CONCLUSIONS
This NIS shows that patients (1) are often affected in their global health when suffering from acid-related symptoms, (2) observed a fast symptom relief after drug intake, and (3) are highly satisfied with the antacid hydrotalcite.