How well are national guidelines relating to the general sales of aspirin and paracetamol, adhered to by retail stores: a mystery shopper study

Objective: To determine whether non-pharmaceutical retail outlets are aboding to the current Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) national guidelines for over-the-counter (OTC) sales of aspirin and paracetamol.
Methods: Stages 1 and 2 of the study deployed eight and four medical students, respectively, to undertake a mystery shopper style investigation. Stage 1: eight medical students attempted to buy ≥96 tablets/capsules aspirin or paracetamol in one transaction in 62 shops. Stage 2: four medical students attempted to purchase 32 paracetamol 500 mg along with a ‘flu remedy preparation also containing paracetamol, in 54 shops. Results: Stage 1 data revealed that 58% and 57% retailers sold more than the MHRA guidelines recommended for paracetamol and aspirin, respectively. We observed that 23% and 28% retailers were willing to sell ≥96 tablets of paracetamol or aspirin with no questions asked. Stage 2 results showed that 57% retailers sold 32×500 mg paracetamol in ...

研究目的：明确非医药零售门店是否遵守当前英国药品与医疗保健产品监管局（Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, MHRA）发布的阿司匹林与对乙酰氨基酚非处方（over-the-counter, OTC）销售国家指南。
研究方法：本研究分为两个阶段，第一阶段与第二阶段分别招募8名及4名医学生，以神秘顾客调查的形式开展研究。第一阶段：8名医学生尝试在62家门店单次购买≥96片/粒阿司匹林或对乙酰氨基酚。第二阶段：4名医学生尝试在54家门店购买32片500mg对乙酰氨基酚，同时搭配一款同样含有对乙酰氨基酚的"感冒治疗制剂"。
研究结果：第一阶段数据显示，分别有58%和57%的零售商售卖的对乙酰氨基酚与阿司匹林数量超出了MHRA指南的推荐限额。我们观察到，23%和28%的零售商可无任何问询直接售卖≥96片对乙酰氨基酚或阿司匹林。第二阶段结果显示，57%的零售商售卖了32×500mg对乙酰氨基酚……