Some patient experiences with drugs and adverse drug reactions in an African teaching hospital

Abstract

One hundred and seventy patients regularly attending a general medical outpatients' clinic at the Parirenyatwa Central Hospital (PCH) in Harare, Zimbabwe were interviewed about their knowledge of their present drug therapy and possible adverse drug reactions (ADRs), history of previous ADRs and action taken on experiencing them, information source and satisfaction with their therapy. Sixty seven patients knew what drugs they were taking and this level of awareness was associated with age, occupation and level of education of the patient. Only 19 patients knew about the possible ADRs of their drugs and this knowledge was associated with language ability, disease knowledge and knowledge of what drugs they were taking. Seventy eight patients had experienced ADRs and this was linked to age and knowledge of ADRs. Eighty one patients said that they would continue their drug treatment on experiencing ADRs, and this behaviour was associated with knowledge of disease and ADRs. More than half of the patients were not satisfied with the information given about their drugs, and very few had read about this subject. These results suggest that overall knowledge of drugs and ADRs amongst patients at the PCH is low, and that there is a need to increase patient education regarding therapy. This training should take into account the patient's demographic and socioeconomic background. Knowledge of ADRs was shown to increase the potential for compliance.