Abstract
Introduction: Self-medication can lead to several unwanted consequences. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the selected medication is safe and effective in order to meet the required health needs. The aim of this study is to assess the patients’ attitude, knowledge and practice towards the use of safe medication and to evaluate the awareness level for optimal medication use among the Saudi community. Materials & Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using a validated questionnaire from “Survey of Medication Knowledge and Behaviors Among College Students in Taiwan” that was translated into Arabic language and validated for use in our study. Results: A total number of 1,576 participants were included. Questions evaluating knowledge about drug-food interactions and the appropriate use of antacids had the lowest number of correct responses, with a response rate of 44.73% and 38.32% respectively. Among these, 952 participants (60.41%) mentioned their effective awareness level regarding pharmacist consultations; however, 624 participants (39.59%) had limited information and awareness regarding pharmacist consultations and medication dispensing. Pharmacist trust as a healthcare expert in providing drug information was evaluated in participants without healthcare professionals or medical students as family members (62.46%), healthcare professional family members (76.74%) and medical student family members (75.21%) with a statistical significance between the first two groups (p <0.001) . Conclusions: The majority of our study population demonstrated inadequate attitude, knowledge, and practice related to safe use of medications. This was more pronounced especially in participants without family members as healthcare professionals or medical students. We recommend the adoption of immediate interventions by pharmacists in order to improve the awareness about attitude, drug knowledge. Therefore, leading to improvements in safe medication practices in the Saudi community.
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