Exit-Knowledge About Dispensed Medications and Associated Factors Among Patients Attending the Outpatient Pharmacy of Ambo General Hospital, Western Ethiopia

Comparative assessment of medication knowledge among ambulatory patients: A cross-sectional study in Nigeria

Background

Patient knowledge on medication is considered a critical aspect of medication self-management by the patient. Medication education and counseling is an important component of pharmaceutical care services.

Objective

This study was aimed at evaluating the impact of medication education and counseling services offered to ambulatory patients receiving care in a typical Nigerian healthcare setting on the patients' knowledge of their medication.

Methods

A cross sectional prospective study conducted at the outpatient pharmacy unit of University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. The patient population was divided into two arms: those who were yet to receive medication education/counseling - Arm 1, and those who had received medication education/counseling from the clinical pharmacist - Arm 2. A patient medication knowledge assessment questionnaire was used to assess patients' knowledge of their prescribed medication. Data obtained were analyzed using the IBM SPSS computer package version 25.0.

Results

Three hundred and ninety-one outpatients (196 in Arm-1 and 195 in Arm-2) participated in the study. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean medication knowledge score between patients in Arm-1 and those in Arm-2. Patients in Arm-2 had a statistically significant higher mean medication knowledge score than those in Arm-1 (5.228 versus 3.191; t = 10.152; P = 0.000).

Conclusion

Outpatients who received medication education and counseling from clinical pharmacists had better knowledge of their prescribed medications than those who were yet to receive this pharmaceutical intervention.

Determinants of exit-knowledge of ambulatory patients on their dispensed medications: The case in the outpatient pharmacy of Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia

Background

Patient’s knowledge about dispensed medications is one of the major factors that determine the rational use of medicines.

Objectives

This study aimed to assess exit-knowledge of ambulatory patients about their dispensed medications and associated factors at the outpatient pharmacy of Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia.

Methods

A hospital-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from August to October 2021. Study subjects were selected by random sampling technique and were interviewed using a structured interview questionnaire. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with exit knowledge. At a 95% confidence interval (CI), p≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Result

Of the total 400 participants, 116 (29.0%) participants had sufficient exit-knowledge about their dispensed medication. Patients with higher educational level had increased exit knowledge of dispensed medications than those with no formal education (AOR: 5.590; 95% CI 1.019–30.666). Also, the nature of illness as being chronic significantly enlarged the odds (AOR 5.807; 95% CI 2.965–11.372) of having sufficient exit-knowledge. Participants who reported, “I do not know” and “I did not get enough information from the pharmacist” had lower odds (AOR 0.374; 95% CI: 0.142–0.982) and (AOR 0.166; 95% CI 0.062–0.445) of sufficient exit-knowledge in comparison to those who responded “I got enough information from the pharmacist” respectively. Furthermore, the odd of sufficient exit-knowledge was 7.62 times higher in those who claimed prescribing doctor as the source of information.

Conclusion

The majority of patients had insufficient exit-knowledge about their dispensed medications. Educational status, nature of the disease, perceived sufficiency of pharmacist knowledge, and source of information were significantly associated with exit knowledge.