Exit-Knowledge About Dispensed Medications and Associated Factors Among Ambulatory Patients Attending Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Mekelle, Ethiopia

Exit knowledge about dispensed medications and associated factors among outpatients served in public hospital pharmacies and private pharmacies in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to synthesise evidence on the pooled level of exit knowledge among outpatients served in public hospital pharmacies and private pharmacies in Ethiopia and to identify the associated factors associated with medication knowledge by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of primary articles focused on this area.

DESIGN

This systematic review and meta-analysis study employed the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach.

DATA SOURCES

Three electronic databases-MEDLINE, Scopus and Google Scholar-were searched for all English-language articles published from 2010 until 18 December 2024.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA OF SELECTED STUDIES

The review exclusively included studies that reported original data, were freely accessible in full text and were written in English, as well as those investigating the level of knowledge among outpatients and associated factors, irrespective of study design. Studies lacking abstracts and full texts, reports, qualitative research, and conference summaries were excluded from the analysis.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Data from selected studies were extracted by three independent reviewers using a standardised data extraction format created using Microsoft Excel. Their results were cross-checked by two additional reviewers for consistency.

RESULTS

Of the 521 identified studies, 9 met the inclusion criteria. The overall pooled knowledge level was 45%. Factors associated with knowledge included residence (OR=0.67, 95% CI: 0.27 to 0.71), adequacy of information provided (OR=0.87, 95% CI: 0.24 to 0.90), education level (OR=0.70 CI: 0.39 to 0.89), clarity of instructions (OR=0.80 CI: 0.14 to 0.99) and pharmacist politeness (OR=0.72 CI: 0.46 to 0.77).

CONCLUSION

The systematic review and meta-analysis showed that pooled patient knowledge regarding their dispensed medications in Ethiopia is about 45%. Key determinant factors of knowledge included education level, quality of pharmacist communication, urban versus rural residence and pharmacist politeness. Recommendations for improvement include enhancing pharmacist training, developing educational materials in local languages, outreach programmes for rural areas and implementing patient-centred care policies.PROSPERO number: CRD42024560816.

Comparative assessment of medication knowledge among ambulatory patients: A cross-sectional study in Nigeria

Background

Patient knowledge on medication is considered a critical aspect of medication self-management by the patient. Medication education and counseling is an important component of pharmaceutical care services.

Objective

This study was aimed at evaluating the impact of medication education and counseling services offered to ambulatory patients receiving care in a typical Nigerian healthcare setting on the patients' knowledge of their medication.

Methods

A cross sectional prospective study conducted at the outpatient pharmacy unit of University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. The patient population was divided into two arms: those who were yet to receive medication education/counseling - Arm 1, and those who had received medication education/counseling from the clinical pharmacist - Arm 2. A patient medication knowledge assessment questionnaire was used to assess patients' knowledge of their prescribed medication. Data obtained were analyzed using the IBM SPSS computer package version 25.0.

Results

Three hundred and ninety-one outpatients (196 in Arm-1 and 195 in Arm-2) participated in the study. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean medication knowledge score between patients in Arm-1 and those in Arm-2. Patients in Arm-2 had a statistically significant higher mean medication knowledge score than those in Arm-1 (5.228 versus 3.191; t = 10.152; P = 0.000).

Conclusion

Outpatients who received medication education and counseling from clinical pharmacists had better knowledge of their prescribed medications than those who were yet to receive this pharmaceutical intervention.

Determinants of exit-knowledge of ambulatory patients on their dispensed medications: The case in the outpatient pharmacy of Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia

Background

Patient’s knowledge about dispensed medications is one of the major factors that determine the rational use of medicines.

Objectives

This study aimed to assess exit-knowledge of ambulatory patients about their dispensed medications and associated factors at the outpatient pharmacy of Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia.

Methods

A hospital-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from August to October 2021. Study subjects were selected by random sampling technique and were interviewed using a structured interview questionnaire. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with exit knowledge. At a 95% confidence interval (CI), p≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Result

Of the total 400 participants, 116 (29.0%) participants had sufficient exit-knowledge about their dispensed medication. Patients with higher educational level had increased exit knowledge of dispensed medications than those with no formal education (AOR: 5.590; 95% CI 1.019–30.666). Also, the nature of illness as being chronic significantly enlarged the odds (AOR 5.807; 95% CI 2.965–11.372) of having sufficient exit-knowledge. Participants who reported, “I do not know” and “I did not get enough information from the pharmacist” had lower odds (AOR 0.374; 95% CI: 0.142–0.982) and (AOR 0.166; 95% CI 0.062–0.445) of sufficient exit-knowledge in comparison to those who responded “I got enough information from the pharmacist” respectively. Furthermore, the odd of sufficient exit-knowledge was 7.62 times higher in those who claimed prescribing doctor as the source of information.

Conclusion

The majority of patients had insufficient exit-knowledge about their dispensed medications. Educational status, nature of the disease, perceived sufficiency of pharmacist knowledge, and source of information were significantly associated with exit knowledge.

Exit-Knowledge About Dispensed Medications and Associated Factors Among Patients Attending the Outpatient Pharmacy of Ambo General Hospital, Western Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Insufficient knowledge of patients about their dispensed medications may result in inappropriate use of medication which can lead to treatment failure and poor therapeutic outcome.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to determine the exit-knowledge level and its determinants among patients attending outpatient pharmacy of the Ambo General Hospital.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 study participants who visited the outpatient pharmacy in Ambo General Hospital from October to December 2019. Face-to-face interview was conducted using structured questionnaires to assess the exit-knowledge of the patients about their dispensed medication at the pharmacy exit. A binary logistic regression was employed to determine factors associated with the exit-knowledge. The association was statistically significant at 95% of confidence interval with a p-value less than 0.05.

RESULTS

A total of 400 patients participated in the study with a 100% response rate. Of the total, 222 (55.5%) patients had sufficient exit-knowledge about their dispensed medication. Patients in the age group of 19-29 (AOR=3.1; 95% CI (1.7-5.6) and 49 -59 (AOR = 3.7; 95% CI (2.3-6.0)) had greater exit-knowledge than the elderly participants (>60 years). Participants who reported the comfort of the waiting area was not suitable had lower odds of sufficient exit-knowledge (AOR= 0.7; 95% CI (0.2-3.0)) in comparison to those who reported a suitable waiting area. Lower odds of sufficient exit-knowledge (AOR=0.4; 95% CI (0.3-0.7)) was determined among those who responded fairly clarity of the dispensers guidance in comparison with those reported clear guidance. The gender and the residence of the participants were also had a significant association with the exit-knowledge level.

CONCLUSION

Modest number of the patients had sufficient exit-knowledge of their dispensed medication. Age, gender, residence, perceived comfort of the waiting area and perceived clarity of the pharmacists' guidances were significantly associated with the exit-knowledge.