Influence of Continuing Education Program on Pharmacy Students’ Knowledge about Generic Drugs in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objectives: </strong>Currently, the use of generic medicines has increased globally. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of education program (CEP) on future health care professionals&rsquo; knowledge of generic medicines. <strong>Methods: </strong>A prospective, one-group, and pre- and post-test design was used to assess the effects of the educational program on future health care professionals&rsquo; knowledge of generic medicines. The participants were final year pharmacy students a total of 24 Pharm.D students received the Continue education intervention. <strong>Findings:</strong> About 91% of them heard of generic medicines, with the most common source of information being the hospital (16.7%), followed by teachers and lecturers (33.3%). About 50% of them received generic medicine information from their course work. Most 91% of the respondents indicated that they had heard about generic and branded medicines. Pharm.D students&rsquo; knowledge score significantly increased from 7.2 before the CEP program to 9.4 after. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> The results of this study concluded that before the educational intervention, students had inadequate knowledge and misconceptions about generic medicine. CEP on generic medicines was effective in the improvement of the knowledge of future health care professionals. <p style="text-align: justify;">Key words: Continuing Education, Future Health Care Professionals, Knowledge, Generic Medicine, Saudi Arabia.