Syndromic Surveillance of Health Effects Due to Summer Sun Overexposure: Construction of an Indicator Based on Drug Sales in Pharmacies—Preliminary Study within the PRISME Project

Adeline Riondel, Leslie Simac (), Olivier Catelinois, Carole Morlan-Salesse, Frédéric Bounoure, Bruno Galan and Damien Mouly
Additional contact information
Adeline Riondel: Santé Publique France, Regions Division, 34000 Montpellier, France
Leslie Simac: Santé Publique France, Regions Division, 34000 Montpellier, France
Olivier Catelinois: Santé Publique France, Regions Division, 34000 Montpellier, France
Carole Morlan-Salesse: The Regional Health Agency of Occitanie, 34000 Montpellier, France
Frédéric Bounoure: D2CN, UFR of Health, NORDIC Laboratory, INSERM 1239, University of Rouen, 76128 Mont Saint Aignan, France
Bruno Galan: Regional Council of the Order of Pharmacists (CROP) of Occitanie, 34000 Montpellier, France
Damien Mouly: Santé Publique France, Regions Division, 34000 Montpellier, France

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 13, 1-12

Abstract: Introduction: Solar radiation is classified as a known human carcinogen. In France, people frequently ask local pharmacies to dispense products for sunburns. In the PRISME project, studying this use can be a specific and sensitive way to assess these overexposures. Objective: This study aims to construct an indicator for monitoring healthcare consumption in pharmacies after overexposure to solar UV. Methods: The study, conducted between July and August 2019, covered a sample of pharmacies located in coastal communities of southern France. A list of products for sunburn was defined. When one of the products on this list was sold, the customer was asked to fill out a questionnaire to determine whether the purchase was related to UV overexposure. A positive predictive value (PPV) per active ingredient was calculated. Results: Overall, nine pharmacies participated in the study, and 288 questionnaires were collected. The majority of products purchased were for women (60.7%), for people aged 15 and over (78.1%), and for people not living in the department (68.9%). The most frequently purchased products were our trolamine-containing products which accounted for 53% of sales. With the exception of three products, all PPVs were greater than 0.8. Conclusion: The high PPV confirms the suitability of the product selection as an indicator for monitoring healthcare consumption related to solar UV overexposure. Two indicators (one sensitive and one specific) were selected to maximise the chances of identifying UV-related remedies.

Keywords: sunburn; solar UV; health impact; health care use; health care consumption; pharmacy; medicines (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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