Otc Case Study Summary

Case Review: “Legal But Deadly: Abuse of OTC and Prescription Drugs Among Teens” From 2005-2006, the small city of Bedrock, Arkansas formed a campaign of community coalitions to address over the counter (OTC) and prescription drug abuse among the city’s middle and high school students. The team created coalitions in assessing the scope of the problem to determine potential solutions. This campaign was formed because due to the high accessibility of OTC medications as well as the widespread misconception that these drugs are less harmful than their street drug counterparts. This case study discussed three aspects of the ten essential public health services including “informing and empowering citizens, mobilizing community partnerships, and developing policies to initiate corrective measures” (“Legal But Deadly 2005). The campaign also evaluated the roles of the county’s local health units and independent school districts in curbing the abuse of prescription and OTC medications. The campaign set out with a community-wide coalition to tackle the “reuse abuse” problem regarding prescription drugs. A member of their campaign included a woman named Petra who
While large medical centers were consulted, many patients rely on private clinics and free clinics and visit them more frequently than hospitals. Changing the design of prescription medication bottles so that a key or passcode is required (that an adolescent did not have access to) could also be another safeguard against abuse. However, I believe that the campaign’s focus on these upstream issues is commendable considering the frequent backlash that comes with addressing them (such as “perceived overregulation of personal behavior, marketplace manipulation of regulatory activities, and a desire to avoid obvious social responsibility” as discussed in Lopez Chapter