A quantitative investigation in a territory of Italy on citizens’ attitudes towards medicines through the COVID-19 pandemic: the importance of possible indirect effects caused by the pandemic

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly influenced many aspects of everyday life, particularly that of the general population health. In order to better understand the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s attitudes toward medicines use, a quantitative investigation was conducted in a territory of Sardinia region, Italy.Methods Stratification of the random multilevel population sample was based on gender, age range, and territory. The methodological strategy to verify the potential approach changes towards medicines due to the COVID-19 pandemic consisted of oral interviews with adult citizens and unrecognizability preservation. Investigation, also supported by a study completed before the insurgence of the pandemic about taking medicines, interrupting treatments without consulting, and reading the information leaflet, allowed to explore citizens’ attitudes before and during pandemic, and changing.Results The most relevant findings are the tendency towards a higher occurrence of self-interruption of treatments and an increased interest in the information leaflet (package leaflet), but not an increased self-administration of medicines.Conclusions These results indicate new indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that could exert an additional impact on the state of citizens’ health and health systems. The study, with reference to prophylactic medical treatments and based on some considerations concerning the pandemic from its insurgence to today, also provides solutions for related problems for the present or future periods of health emergencies.

Keywords

• COVID-19 pandemic
• medicines
• treatments
• citizens’ attitudes
• indirect effects
• health services