GP waiting rooms are being kept busy due to a steady influx of patients suffering from indigestion and heartburn, according to a survey of 1,000 family doctors.
Nearly nine in 10 (88%) of the GPs said they see patients suffering from these conditions several times a week – with 37% seeing these patients on a daily basis.
Around half the GPs surveyed by Doctors.net.uk and OTC bulletin suggested that their surgery does not receive enough information for patients – for example explanatory and self-care leaflets – that can be placed in waiting rooms.
A similar proportion of GPs appealed to over-the-counter (OTC) medicine manufacturers to provide more evidence-based information to help inform them about which products to recommend to patients.
Deborah Wilkes, Editor of OTC bulletin, said: “With only one in two GPs saying that their surgery received enough information for patients, such as leaflets and posters for waiting rooms, there would appear to be a real gap which OTC manufacturers could fill.”
Simon Grime, Head of Healthcare at Doctors.net.uk, said: “The survey revealed that GPs have a propensity to recommend OTC products and that manufacturers need to acknowledge the significant demand from GPs for efficacy and side effects information.”
