Pharmacy student knowledge level regarding the beyond-use date

Abstract

Background: In daily practice, misunderstandings often arise regarding the expiration date after opening the package of a drug. Beyond Use Date (BUD) is the time limit for using the drug after it has been formulated or prepared or after the primary packaging has been opened or damaged. Students need to understand BUD because BUD is related to the stability and quality of drug preparations. Without proper knowledge of BUD, the provision of information to patients may be misleading and it may lead to unsafe use of the drug. Objective: This study aims to determine the level of knowledge of pharmacy students about beyond use date of drugs. Methods: A descriptive survey is used in this observational cross-sectional study. The data collection was conducted in June 2022 at the Pharmacy Study Programme, Faculty of Health Sciences, the University of Muhammadiyah Mataram, Indonesia with a total sample of 163 students. Results: This study found that 42.9% (n:70) pharmacy students have a ‘good’ category of knowledge of BUD, while 53.9% (n: 88) have an ‘enough’ category of knowledge and 3.1% (n:5) have a ‘less' category of knowledge. A total of 11.1% (n:18) of students said BUD did not determine drug use, and 42.9% (n:70) said BUD and ED were not the same. Conclusion: The average level of knowledge of pharmacy students in the sampled university about Beyond Use Date Drugs is in the sufficient category.