The pharmacist as guarantor of patient health in the dispensation of acetylsalicylic acid 500 mg

Introduction: Pharmacists hold the responsibility for dispensing of medicines in Spain. When the medicine is an Over the Counter (OTC) one, the pharmacist ensures its good use and prevents the appearance of an ADR (adverse drug reaction). Aspirin® (500 mg of ASA) is one of the best known OTCs. This study analyses the pharmacist’s interventions when 500mg ASA OTCs are dispensed. 

Material and methods: 18 community pharmacies took part in this prospective observational study. All interventions made by the pharmacists when patients, who demanded 500 mg ASA OTCs, where in a risky situation for its use, were documented from June 2013 to June 2014. 

Results: Pharmacists had to intervene 182 times out of the 3.355 ones a patient demanded a 500 mg ASA OTC (5.4% of the times). 20% of interventions where related to the length of treatment, 24% to pathologies where ASA was contraindicated, other 24% to lab tests alteration and 26% to drug-drug interactions.

Discussion: Pharmacist intervention prevented an ADR for the patient 5.4% of the times a 500 mg ASA OTC was demanded at the pharmacy. This leads us to think carefully about the possibility of taking ASA out of the pharmacy. This fact is supported by the lower number of ADR notifications in Spain compared to other European countries.