On July 24th, the International Self-Care Day is celebrated, which, among other things, reminds us how important it is to engage each one of us in one’s own health.
According to the definition of the World Health Organization, self-care is the use of medicines by the patients in the treatment of diseases or symptoms diagnosed on their own The World Health Organization has confirmed that the patient’s independent, responsible use of medicine plays an important, supportive role for every healthcare system.
The condition for effective management of own health and responsible use of medicines is access to reliable information, professional advice and high-quality products. The above approach is an indispensable part of a modern approach to healthcare, while helping people to manage their own health saves time and money, reduces the overstretched healthcare systems and makes people more responsible for their health.
„The education of the society is the key to maximizing the effects of independent and responsible use of medicines. A conscious and committed patient becomes the support for the state’s healthcare system. PASMI supports the patient education process, which is proven by the recent initiative entitled: Patient’s Tool Kit[1] carried out in association with family doctors. In this initiative, we encouraged the patient to prepare for the visit by writing in the Patient’s Tool Kit all the medications used, both those recommended by the doctor and those purchased independently. Thanks to this during the visit the doctor was able to verify the list of medicines taken from the safety point of view and effectiveness of therapy while patient obtained the necessary knowledge to help him consciously participate in the treatment process.” – states Ewa Jankowska, President of PASMI’s Management Board.
Building patient awareness through deepening the knowledge in the area of responsibility for one’s own health brings measurable socio-economic benefits for the individual and the healthcare system.
Increasingly, countries include the educational aspect in health policy as one of the main pillars of supporting the effectiveness of the state’s healthcare system.
Research from the US market shows that after the educational campaign a significant decrease in the workload of medical services was observed. From every dollar invested in promotion and education, 11 dollars in savings was obtained.[2] The above results were associated with both saving time of the patient and medical staff.
On the other hand, the British government report from 2005 indicates that consciously developed self-care reduces 40% of the number of doctor visits, 17% of home visits, and 50% need for ambulance intervention, hospital admissions and hospitalization time.[3] From the point of view of primary care doctors, the use of medication in the case of mild health problems that do not require medical intervention means a significant saving of time, which can be used to care for patients with more serious ailments.[4] It is therefore appropriate to emphasize the importance of proper patient education, increasing of the awareness and responsibility for one’s own health.
Research indicate the positive impact of responsible use of over-the-counter drugs on public health in general, while access to knowledge and its appropriate use by the patients will bring health and economic benefits for them and the healthcare system.
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PASMI Polish Association of Self Medication Industry promotes the responsible self-medication among the society through a conscious and safe use of products classified as drugs sold without Prescription. It pursues to establish relevant legal and systematic solutions for the development of the responsible use of OTC drugs as one of the elements of the healthcare system.
PASMI cooperates actively with European organisations whose goals and operations are in line with the statutory activity of PASMI. PASMI is a member of AESGP – Association of the European Self-Medication Industry. Currently, the Association has 20 members: Aboca, A&D Pharma, Adamed, Bayer, Biocodex, GSK, IPSEN Poland, Johnson&Johnson, Klosterfrau, Omega Pharma Poland, Queisser Pharma, Pfizer, Polpharma, Reckitt Benckiser, Sanofi, Takeda, Teva, USP Zdrowie, Verco and Polski Komitet Zielarski as a supporting member
[1] https://pasmi.pl/en/for-patients/
[2] Krzysztof Krajewski-Siuda, Robert Chmura, Krzysztof Łach: Samoleczenie jako problem zdrowia publicznego
[3] Supporting people with long term conditions to self care. A guide to developing local strategies and good practice
[4] Blenkinsopp A., Cost benefit of self prescribing, „Lancet” 1989, 1(8651), s. 1393.
