{"doc_desc":{"title":"Managing minor ailments and pharmacy services: how do people make their decisions?","producers":[{"name":"","abbr":"","affiliation":"","role":""}]},"study_desc":{"title_statement":{"idno":"10.16909-dataset-56","title":"Managing minor ailments and pharmacy services: how do people make their decisions?","translated_title":"Exploration des pr\u00e9f\u00e9rences de la population romande dans la gestion de sympt\u00f4mes fr\u00e9quents"},"authoring_entity":[{"name":"J\u00e9r\u00f4me Berger","affiliation":"Unisant\u00e9, Center for Primary Care and Public Health and University of Lausanne, DDP Department of Ambulatory Care"}],"production_statement":{"producers":[{"name":"Clemence Perraudin","abbr":"CPE","affiliation":"Unisant\u00e9, Center for Primary Care and Public Health and University of Lausanne, DDP Department of Ambulatory Care","role":"Co-author and researcher"},{"name":"L\u00e9a Charnaux","abbr":"CHX","affiliation":"Unisant\u00e9, Center for Primary Care and Public Health and University of Lausanne, DDP Department of Ambulatory Care","role":"Researcher"}],"copyright":"This dataset is available under the CC-BY licence : https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/","funding_agencies":[{"name":"Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 vaudoise de pharmacie","abbr":"SVPH","role":""}]},"distribution_statement":{"contact":[{"name":"Clemence Perraudin","affiliation":"Unisant\u00e9, Center for Primary Care and Public Health and University of Lausanne, DDP Department of Ambulatory Care","email":"Clemence.Perraudin@unisante.ch","uri":""}],"deposit_date":"","distribution_date":""},"version_statement":{"version":"Open Access version","version_date":"2025-06-04"},"bib_citation_format":"","study_authorization":{"date":""},"study_info":{"keywords":[{"keyword":"Community pharmacy","vocab":"","uri":""},{"keyword":"Minor ailment","vocab":"","uri":""},{"keyword":"Symptom management","vocab":"","uri":""},{"keyword":"Decision making","vocab":"","uri":""},{"keyword":"Pharmacy services","vocab":"","uri":""}],"abstract":"**Background**\nHealthcare costs and shortages of healthcare professionals are challenges for healthcare systems. Optimal resource allocation is needed, notably in the management of minor ailments. Community pharmacy services (e.g. minor ailment schemes) are often underused by the population. This study aims to explore the decision-making process when people are managing minor ailments: What criteria influence their choices among the management options? What is their level of information and willingness to use and pay for pharmacy services?\n\n**Methods**\nIn this cross-sectional online survey, participants were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire (convenience sampling) from 07.11.2023 to 08.12.2023. The questionnaire explored general decision-making process in minor ailment management through three clinical scenarios, factors influencing whether to choose pharmacy services to manage minor ailments, as well as public knowledge about three pharmacy services in Switzerland and their willingness to use and pay for them.\n\n**Results**\nThe proportion of valid questionnaires was 99.8% (508\/514). Perceived severity of symptoms and time to deal with symptoms were the most important criteria in making the management decision. The more serious the symptoms were perceived, the less the pharmacy and self-medication were privileged. Respondent's decision about whether to go to the pharmacy when dealing with minor ailments depended mainly on the perceived staff's skills and direct access to medicines. Pharmacy services were little known by the public. Respondents were more willing to use autonomous prescribing than other services, with low willingness to pay out of their pocket. \n\n**Conclusions**\nThis study shows that respondents are willing to use pharmacy services to manage minor ailments but are unaware of their existence and have low willingness to pay. Communication and uniformization of pharmacy services are needed, as well as the identification of right incentives to achieve the political goal of adequate orientation in the healthcare system when managing minor ailments.","coll_dates":[{"start":"2023-07-11","end":"2023-08-12","cycle":""}],"nation":[{"name":"Switzerland","abbreviation":"CH"}],"geog_coverage":"French speaking part of Switzerland","analysis_unit":"Individuals","universe":"People going to pharmacies, to ED or to GP or people having access to internet (QR code)","data_kind":"Sample survey data [ssd]","ex_post_evaluation":{"completion_date":"","type":""}},"method":{"data_collection":{"data_collectors":[{"name":"L\u00e9a Charnaux","abbr":"CHX","role":"","affiliation":"Unisant\u00e9, Center for Primary Care and Public Health and University of Lausanne, DDP Department of Ambulatory Care"}],"sampling_procedure":"Sample size: 508 respondents.\nSelection process: As many answers as possible \nStratification: none\nStage of sample selection : explorative without sample selection \nLevel of representation: not representative of the swiss population","sample_frame":{"frame_unit":{"is_primary":"","num_of_units":""}},"sampling_deviation":"-","coll_mode":["Internet [int]"],"research_instrument":"The questionnaire was created following the recommendations in the Unisant\u00e9 document \u201cD1808 Creating a questionnaire\u201d.\nAn initial review of the questionnaire was carried out by the project supervisor. Following modifications, the questionnaire was sent to the Unisant\u00e9 pharmacy research group for an initial correction phase. Suggestions from 5 members of the research group were returned and taken into account. The questionnaire was then sent to two people outside the research group for an initial pilot test to assess comprehension and completion time. The final version of the questionnaire was submitted to the Head of Pharmacy, as well as to two people outside Unisant\u00e9 for a final pilot test. It was estimated that the final version of the questionnaire would take 10 to 15 minutes to complete.","instru_development_type":"","sources":[{"name":"","origin":"","characteristics":""}],"coll_situation":"The average time taken to complete the questionnaires (n=458) was 16 +\/- 9 minutes and the median 14 minutes [min 2 - max 58 minutes]; after excluding values deemed to be outliers >60 minutes, n=50.","cleaning_operations":"The dataset has been anonymized in June 2025. Greographical information were removed from comments and free answers. Some variables have been removed, as they might contained personal information : autre_a, autre_b,autre_mod_ass_alt,commentaires_formulaire."},"method_notes":"None","analysis_info":{"response_rate":"There is no tracability of the number of people that scanned the QR code and didn't finish the questionnaire or didn't start it","sampling_error_estimates":"-","data_appraisal":"The sample population responding to the questionnaire was recruited by convenience and was not representative of the Swiss population. The sample contained more women (70% vs. 50%) (1) and was better educated (59% with a higher education qualification vs. 30%) (2). What's more, in Romandie, the canton of Vaud was over-represented (81% vs. 36%) (1), as were people with standard AOS models (40% vs. 22%) (3). People with alternative \u201ctelemedicine or pharmacy\u201d models (7% vs. 29.4% for 19-26 year-olds and 28% for >26 year-olds) (3), as well as extreme deductibles (300.- : 37% vs. 46% ; 2500. : 36% vs. 41%) (3) were under-represented. There was also a possible over-representation of young people (4). \n\n1. OFS, Office f\u00e9d\u00e9ral de la statistique [Internet]. 2023 [cit\u00e9 18 d\u00e9c 2023]. Structure de la population \nr\u00e9sidante permanente selon le canton, de 1999 \u00e0 2022 - 1999-2022 | Tableau. Disponible sur: https:\/\/www.bfs.admin.ch\/asset\/fr\/26565149 \n2. OFS, Office f\u00e9d\u00e9ral de la statistique [Internet]. 2023 [cit\u00e9 18 d\u00e9c 2023]. Niveau de formation de \nla population \u2013 Donn\u00e9es de l\u2019indicateur - 2000-2022 | Tableau. Disponible sur: https:\/\/www.bfs.admin.ch \n\/asset\/fr\/24485173 \n3. Grize S. Statistique de l\u2019assurance-maladie obligatoire Edition 2021. Berne: OFSP, Office f\u00e9d\u00e9ral \nde la sant\u00e9 publique; 2023. Report No.: 6.  \n4. OFS, Office f\u00e9d\u00e9ral de la statistique [Internet]. [cit\u00e9 26 d\u00e9c 2023]. Age. Disponible sur: \nhttps:\/\/www.bfs.admin.ch\/bfs\/fr\/home\/statistiken\/bevoelkerung\/stand-entwicklung\/alter.html"}},"data_access":{"dataset_availability":{"access_place":"Unisant\u00e9 Data repository","access_place_url":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.16909\/56","status":"This dataset is available under the CC-BY licence : https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},"dataset_use":{"contact":[{"name":"Clemence Perraudin","affiliation":"Unisant\u00e9, Center for Primary Care and Public Health and University of Lausanne, DDP Department of Ambulatory Care","email":"Clemence.Perraudin@unisante.ch","uri":""}],"conditions":"All data and documentation are available under the CC-BY licence : https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/. To download the data, please click on Data access and accept the terms and conditions"}}},"schematype":"survey","tags":[{"tag":"CC-BY"},{"tag":"Humans"}]}