[2] The pharmacist can also use OTC counseling to ensure the highest likelihood of success for the patient's self-care attempt and minimize the risk of any drug-related problems.
For example, patients sometimes misuse OTC products by taking larger than recommended doses, in order to bring about symptomatic relief more quickly, or even intentionally abuse them for unlabeled indications.
[10] It takes the form of the following:[10][7] The ENCORE method helps pharmacists focus intently on the patient's presenting symptoms while considering the appropriate OTC recommendation.
It takes the form of the following:[11][7] For the selection of OTC proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), pharmacists must first determine whether or not a patient is likely to benefit from self-care for the treatment of their acid reflux symptoms.
[12] Whether or not pharmacists should be involved with selling dietary supplements, which are not approved for the treatment or prevention of any disease or disorder, is the subject of much ethical debate.
For example, pharmacists sometimes advise patients on long-term metformin therapy to supplement with vitamin B12 to treat or prevent diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Even a common OTC medication like acetaminophen may pose a risk to cancer patients by masking the presence of fever, which is an important sign of a serious side effect of some chemotherapy regimens called febrile neutropenia.