title: Over-the-counter medicines:  their place in self-care.
abstract: Over the last 20 years, there has been a shift in Western countries' healthcare policy to empower patients to exercise self-care by taking greater control in managing their own health, especially in cases where their conditions are deemed minor and self-limiting. In the UK, this has been facilitated by the Department of Health in making more medicines available to the public without the need for a prescription. This article highlights how policy is affecting practice, what attitudes the public and health professionals have toward greater medicine availability, and considers their place in patient management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK.
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Rutter
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D017277:Drug Approval; D004347:Drug Interactions; D006801:Humans; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage; D055553:Prescription Drugs; D012648:Self Care; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D055553:Prescription Drugs