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Introduction

In many Eu countries, the use of dietary supplements has increased. Most supplements are self-prescribed, and some uses of supplements are based on misleading information from the internet or social media. The increased use of dietary supplements is expected to lead to more patients seeking advice on them from their care providers. 

Aim

The aim of this work is to investigate the knowledge and provision of advice of pharmacy staff about dietary supplements.

Method

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a pharmacy technician and pharmacists who had worked at a pharmacy for the past 12 months. Eight people - a pharmacy technician and seven pharmacists- participated in the study. The interviews were recorded and transcribed by the author. The transcribed material was read several times, and from that material the answers were extracted and analyzed. The results were assigned to various subheadings after the transcribed material was examined. 

Results

The results show that participants recommended dietary supplements when the customer was healthy and there was no risk of their interaction with other drugs. None of the participants recollected learning much about dietary supplements during their university education; learning about supplements took place mostly at work and through self-study. According to the participants, dietary supplements sold in pharmacies are better controlled than dietary supplements sold in health stores and on the internet.

Conclusion

The results of this study indicate that the participants would have welcomed lectures or courses that dealt with dietary supplements during their university education. The participants who were interested in the use of dietary supplements and read about it outside of work appeared to have broader knowledge than the other participants.