assessment of community pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding over-the-counter medication consultations in karaj, iran

Background: one of the essential responsibilities of pharmacists is to provide information and advice regarding over-the-counter (otc) medications. this study investigates the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (kap) of community pharmacists in karaj, iran, concerning otc medications.method: data collection was conducted using a researcher-made questionnaire. the questionnaire comprises four sections: demographic information (13 questions), and questions on knowledge (6 questions), attitudes (7 questions), and practices (3 questions) of community pharmacists in providing pharmaceutical consulting services for otc medications.results: among the 116 pharmacists who participated in this study, 59.5% were women and 40.5% were men (mean age = 41.4 years). the levels of knowledge and practice among the participants were suboptimal, as only 21 pharmacists (18.1%) achieved satisfactory scores in knowledge, and only 9 pharmacists (7.8%) demonstrated satisfactory practices. additionally, 71 pharmacists (61.2%) received moderate scores in attitudes. a significant correlation was found between the level of knowledge and participation in training courses on otc medications. the results also demonstrated that younger pharmacists exhibited better knowledge.conclusion: the results revealed that only a small proportion of pharmacists demonstrated satisfactory knowledge and performance regarding otc medications. additionally, the present study highlighted a decline in pharmacists' knowledge levels as they transitioned away from the academic environment, underscoring the necessity for improved post-graduate training programs.