Authors: Johnson, Gina¹; Helman, Cecil²

Source: British Journal of General Practice, Volume 54, Number 499, February 2004 , pp. 98-102(5)

Publisher: Royal College of General Practitioners

Abstract:

Background: Over £500 million is spent in the United Kindom every year on over-the-counter medicines for coughs and colds. Evidence for their pharmacological efficacy is lacking.

Aim: To examine lay beliefs about over-the-counter medicines for coughs and colds. To explore whether the distinction between symptom relief and cure has the same relevance to lay people as it does to medical professionals.

Design of study: Small pilot study using qualitative techniques.

Setting: Variety sample of 11 patients attending the National Health Service walk-in centre, Birmingham, England.

Method: In-depth semi-structured interviews, including pile-sorting and fictional case histories, were used to explore participants' beliefs about the effects of over-the-counter medicines on coughs and colds.

Results: Eight of the 11 participants believed that at least one over the-counter cough medicine (most frequently Benylin for Chesty Coughs) could shorten, or 'cure', an illness. Five participants thought that the majority of the medicines that they recognised would speed recovery rather than just relieve symptoms.

Conclusions: There is a common confusion in the lay person's mind between the ability of a medicine to relieve symptoms, and its ability to cure a disease or to hasten recovery. This misunderstanding may affect the demand for primary care consultations.

References: 11 references open in new window

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Keywords: ANTHROPOLOGY CULTURAL; COMMON COLD; COUGH; DRUGS; NONPRESCRIPTION

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: General Practitioner, Stopsley Group Practice, Luton 2: Lecturer in Primary Care, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London

Publication date: 2004-02-01

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• The British Journal of General Practice is an international journal publishing articles of interest to family practitioners and primary care researchers worldwide. The journal's 2010 Impact Factor is 2.07, making it the world's second most highly cited journal of general practice and primary health care.

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