Good practices in dispensing dietary supplements in a community pharmacy from San Miguel de Tucumán

PATRICIO GUILLERMO MÁRQUEZ

Congreso; 6ta Reunión Internacional de Ciencias Farmacéuticas (RICiFa 2021); 2021

Facultad de Ciencias Químicas (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba); Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas (Universidad Nacional de Rosario)

Pharmacy practice endeavors to develop, produce, preserve, dispense, administer, andmonitor the use of medical and healthcare products. The dispensing of these implies not onlyproviding them, but also informing about their correct use. This work aimed to optimize thedispensing of dietary supplements, ensure their rational use, and assess the compliance of productswith labelling and packaging regulations. Teachers of the Professional Pharmacy Practice course atFacultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia (Universidad Nacional de Tucumán) undertook theproduction of monographs and leaflets for patients assisted in Community Pharmacy, in San Miguelde Tucumán. They later participated in an online survey on the information displayed on labels andpackaging. Monographs were widely accepted as practical, and leaflets helped clear up doubts. Forty-one point six percent consumed dietary supplements, 73.8% of whom were younger than 42. Of these,40.5% were men. They consumed sports nutrition supplements (41.7%), vitamin and mineralsupplements (23.8%), energizers (23.8%), and immune system boosters (20.2%). Product labels andpackaging were found to conform with regulations. In conclusion, pharmaceutical counselling helpsoptimize dietary supplement use. Educating consumers and raising their awareness of the need to usethese products rationally contributes to healthcare.