People Perception on Buying Over-the-counter Medicine: A Study in Nepal

Abstract

By practice, OTC medicine is very popular because it can be purchased without prescription of Doctors and it can be available in every retailer pharmacies. The main objective of this study was to explore the people perception on buying the OTC medicine in Nepalese context. The study was based on the descriptive study. Cross-section study was done among the 400 respondents. The result showed that more than 50% people perceived that buying behaviour of OTC medicine was not good but they agreed that it saved the time and money of patient. Perceptually, people agreed that very busy and uneducated person bought the OTC medicine. Around only 15% People believed in the medicine advertised through the different online and print media. Comparatively higher number of people believed on the advertisement of OTC done by health person than the artists. In general, people perception was significantly positive towards the buying behaviour of OTC medicine because it saved the time and money of people. It also supported to aware the people on the medicine available in the retail pharmacies. People perception was different than the general practices of buying the OTC medicine because every people have experience of purchasing the OTC medicine for their own or family health problem.

So, it is important to study on the practice of buying OTC medicine.