Abstract
Background: Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are those that are offered to consumers without the need of a prescription. Pharmacists are among the medical professionals who play a crucial role in educating patients and assisting them in selecting nonprescription medications safely. Inappropriate self-medication with OTC drugs can have serious implications especially in extremes of ages including pregnant and lactating mothers. Therefore, the findings of this study may be used as preliminary information by concerned bodies.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate community pharmacists' perceptions of their clients' use of OTC drugs in Adama, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia.
Methods: 94 community pharmacists in Adama town participated in a cross-sectional descriptive survey that was carried out at pharmacies between April to May of 2023. Data were gathered using a self-administered questionnaire, and a pilot study was conducted prior to the real data collection. After being coded and cleaned, the data was imported into SPSS version 21 for analysis. The mean, median, standard deviation, and inter-quartile range were used to characterize quantitative data. Frequency and percentage were utilized to characterize the qualitative data. Tables and graphs were utilized to present the results.
Results: 98.9% of the respondents completed the survey. More than half (52.1%) of the participants held a Bachelor of Pharmacy qualification. According to 24.5% of pharmacists, OTC drugs were safe to dispense. Painkillers (94.7%) and cold, cough, and sore throat medications (78.7%) were the most often requested OTC medications. The choice of OTC medication dispensed was made by either pharmacists (66%) or consumers (34%). Insufficient knowledge of consumer (46.8%) and lack of exposure to medical information (25.5%) were the primary causes of OTC drug misuse. When they found a case of drug abuse, the majority (89.4%) of them said that counseling the clients was the best course of action.
Conclusion: Inadequate knowledge of consumers and lack of exposure to medical information was the most leading cause of inappropriate use of OTC drugs, and the therapeutic categories of OTC drugs that patients misused the most were pain relievers (62.8%) as reported by community pharmacists. The majority (89.4%) of community pharmacists believed that counseling the clients was the best course of action when they found a case of OTC drug misuse. It is the duty of community pharmacists in patient education about OTC medications and their typical adverse effects. The Regional Health Bureau and Ministry of Health should provide learning opportunities for druggists to upgrade their education level and provide continuous pre-service and in-service training on OTC medication for all community pharmacists.

Key words: Adama, community pharmacists, OTC, perception.