On June 29, with the participation of the Association of Consumer Health Industry, the first conference on responsible self-care and its impact on the quality of life of patients was organized by the Russian Patients’ Association (VSP).
On June 24, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Self-care Month, which ends on July 24 on the International Self-care Day. In this regard, the conference on responsible self-care, which was held by the VSP and brought together leading experts from the patient and professional communities: physicians, psychologists, sociologists, economists, lawyers, managers, is very timely. The relevance of the issue is due to the fact that the concept of a responsible self-care provides opportunities for empowering people in addressing issues related to supporting their health needs in the face of new challenges, such as population aging, an increase in the burden of chronic non-communicable diseases, and the consequences of the global COVID-19 pandemic, limited resources of the healthcare system.

According to the ACHI, in order to raise a culture of responsible self-care among the population, which includes the responsible use of over-the-counter drugs and other consumer health products (medical devices, food supplements, other pharmacy products), strict adherence to doctor's prescriptions for taking prescription drugs, self-monitoring of health, a closer communication between pharmaceutical and medical workers and a deeper integration of pharmacy organizations in the healthcare system are needed.

This is confirmed by the results of a large-scale survey conducted by the ACHI together with partners in 2022, aimed at studying the perception of the concept of a responsible self-care by consumers, medical and pharmacy workers, which the ACHI Executive Director Elena Nevolina presented during her speech at the conference.

According to the study, consumers not only demonstrate their readiness to share responsibility for their health with medical professionals, but also do it in practice: the majority of respondents say that they choose medicines on their own.
Doctors themselves note that patients rarely ask them questions about the use of medicines and other consumer health products during their appointment. And if doctors prescribe over-the-counter drugs relatively often, then most doctors do not prescribe dietary supplements and other health products.

Pharmacy workers, on the contrary, note the extreme activity of consumers during communication - they often ask for help in choosing a drug and ask questions about its use.
Unfortunately, today, when discussing relationships in the healthcare system, pharmacy workers, in principle, fall out of the chain “doctor - patient - self-care”. We must admit that in Russia there are not enough norms, standards that would determine the level of involvement of pharmacy workers in solving issues related to people’s health. However, in practice, it is often the pharmacy that becomes the patient's first contact with the healthcare system.

According to PwC Russia 2022 Consumer Health Market Research, many consumers rely on the advice of pharmacists, so the scope of this advice needs to be expanded. To do this, it is necessary to increase the potential of the concept of responsible self-care at the level of convenience pharmacies. Pharmacists can promote the safe and effective use of over-the-counter drugs.

As a systemic approach to create a national concept of responsible self-care, the Association proposes the following steps:
1) develop and approve a recommended list of minor ailments and options for their relief with the use of over-the-counter drugs and other consumer health products, as well as the definition of safe limits for their use;
2) define the function of providing pharmaceutical counseling as an integral part of pharmaceutical activities in the Federal Law "On the Circulation of Medicines in the Russian Federation";
3) within the framework of additional professional education programs, conduct a campaign to raise awareness of medical specialists about the content and benefits of providing pharmaceutical counseling to the population by pharmacy workers;
4) conduct a campaign to raise awareness of citizens about measures of responsible attitude to health (self-care), including the conscious use of over-the-counter medicines and other consumer health products, about the safe limits of responsible self-medication, through information in outpatient clinics and pharmacy organizations, as well as in the media, the Internet, at public events;
5) hold a broad discussion on the development and implementation of a national strategy for responsible self-care in the Russian Federation, including through its integration into the national projects "Demography" and "Healthcare".

“The conference held by the VSP showed that the patient and professional communities as a whole share the position of the consumer health industry and are ready to work together to build a coherent approach to implementing the concept of responsible self-care. - Elena Nevolina notes. – We have to develop clear definitions, target groups, necessary legislative changes, measures to improve public health literacy and motivation for responsible self-care, healthcare providers training and other steps. We are convinced that these actions will contribute to improving the quality and life expectancy of our citizens.”