Biomedical and Biotechnology Research Journal (Jan 2020)
Reported patients' attitudes and practices for knowledge of prescribed medications with chronic disease conditions: A cross-sectional study
Abstract
Background: Patients' medication knowledge plays an essential role in the management of chronic disease conditions. Poor patient's knowledge is associated with low medication adherence, incorrect medication use, improper management of chronic disease conditions, treatment failure, and poor health-related outcomes. The aim of the present study was to assess and compare the attitudes and practices of knowledge about the prescribed medications in patients diagnosed with chronic disease conditions under chronic medication treatment in community pharmacy settings in Baghdad province, Iraq. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted among 384 participants through an interview using a structured 3-parts questionnaire, consisting of 20 items assessing the demographic characteristics, attitudes, and practices of knowledge about the prescribed medications. Results: A total of 384 participants enrolled in this study. About 62.3% of the study participants reported having the previous provision of knowledge about the prescribed medications within the past 12 months. About 61.7% of the study participants reported that the physicians were the primary healthcare professional (HCP) for providing knowledge about the prescribed medications, while 43.5% stated that the medication information leaflets (MILs) were an additional source for providing knowledge about the prescribed medications. There was a difference between the HCP-based knowledge and MIL-based knowledge about the prescribed medications on various elements of medication-related information for the name of the medicine, indication or reason for medicine use, the dosage of the medicine, frequency of the medicine administration and route of medicine administration (100% vs. 43.5%), respectively. Conclusion: The study revealed acceptable attitudes and practices of knowledge about the prescribed medications in patients diagnosed with chronic disease conditions under chronic medication treatment among patients in the Iraqi community; however, there are gaps in the general knowledge about the use of MILs.
Keywords
