Factors affecting knowledge and practice of medicine use among the general public in the State of Penang, Malaysia

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and practice of medicine use among the general public and the factors affecting the practice of the safe use of medicines. Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out in public using a convenience sampling technique to recruit the required sample at the household level. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. A total of 888 questionnaires were completed and returned to the researchers. The data were coded and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics to find the differences between factors at a confidence level of 95%, and a P-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Key findings This study indicated that the respondents have limited knowledge about some aspects of medicine use (mean ± SD = 6.45 ± 2.43). Additionally, there were inappropriate practices of using medicines in terms of taking less than the recommended dose, sharing medicines with others, reusing old prescriptions, stopping use of prescribed medicines and not informing a doctor about other medications used (mean ± SD = 35.15 ± 8.31). Respondents with a higher score of knowledge were more likely to use medicines appropriately (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.17–1.35, P < 0.001). Conclusions There is a lack of knowledge about medicine use among the general public, and this issue was associated with inappropriate practices of using medicines. In addition, knowledge about medicine use was significantly associated with an increase in age, females, Malay respondents, higher education level, higher monthly income and respondents suffering from chronic diseases.