Abstract
BackgroundMedicine use can be influenced by several factors. Health managers need specific information about irrational use of medicines, in order to identify opportunities to enhance rational use of medicines in their communities. This study aimed to assess the pattern and factors associated with household medicine use in Gondar town, northwestern Ethiopia.MethodsAn interviewer-administered cross-sectional survey was conducted on 771 households, carried out between 5 April and 6 May 2015. The questionnaire contained items focusing on different aspects of medicine use in the households. The analysis involved descriptive summary and binary logistic regression test, which assessed association of independent variables with medicine use.ResultsOf the households interviewed, 22.4% (173/771) disclosed the presence of at least one chronic disease in the family; while 49.2% reported the use of medicine in the one month prior to the study. Almost all of the households (92.6%) reported a habit of discontinuing medicines, and 17.8% disclosed a practice of sharing medicines with household members and others. Level of education, presence of health professionals, and individuals with chronic illness in the households were linked to increased likelihood of reporting medicine use. Discarding leftover medicines with garbage (56.7%) was the principal means of disposal reported by the households.ConclusionsA high proportion of reported medicine use, together with problems such as sharing with other people and leaving medicines unfinished were found among the households in the study.
Highlights
Medicine use can be influenced by several factors
Annual global spending on medicines was estimated to reach nearly 1.2 trillion United States Dollars by 2016, with the top 20 therapy areas accounting for 42% of the total, where cancer, diabetes and asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) take the lead [1]
On the basis of the test, presence of a family member with a secondary level education (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.667, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.008–7.061) was associated with medicine use in a statistically significant manner
Summary
Medicine use can be influenced by several factors. Health managers need specific information about irrational use of medicines, in order to identify opportunities to enhance rational use of medicines in their communities. One-third of the population lacks regular access to essential medicines. This reaches up to 50% in the poorest nations of Africa and Asia. Different factors can be said to determine the use of medicines in the community. These include knowledge about use, the cost of medicines, regulatory systems, cultural factors, community beliefs and communication with prescribers among others [3]. These factors play out at different levels including household and community
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
