Access to OTCs "keeps US staff at work"

Convenient access to over-the-counter medicines keeps 85% of employeesat work, says a new study, which also found that 98% of employees said that access to analgesics, cough/cold and antidiarrheal medications, antacids and skin ointments,would keep them at work long enough to complete their shifts.

Study author Yvonne Abdoo of the University of Michigan noted that, while the study questioned hourly workers at a manufacturing plant, it has implications for all types of employers. "On-site health services, such as medications, appear to be a small investment with a large return," she commented.