Patients knowledge about prescribed antimicrobial drugs at the outpatient department Naguru hospital

Abstract

Introduction Patients‟ knowledge of prescribed medication is a crucial indicator of patient care and it is essential for rational medication use and good therapeutic outcomes. Knowledge of prescribed drugs is also associated with compliance, adherence, and patient trust in the health care system Objective: To determine the extent of patient knowledge about prescribed antimicrobial drugs and its associated factors at the Outpatients Department (OPD) Naguru Hospital. Methods A cross-sectional study among 319 patients attending the OPD of Naguru hospital was conducted. Data was collected by face-face interviews using a pretested structured questionnaire. Knowledge assessment used frequencies and different components as adopted and modified from Marfo et al, 2013, which included drug name, dose, frequency, indication, duration of the treatment, and side effect. The total score of 60 was calculated by giving each attribute 10 points. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 23. Factors associated with adequate knowledge were determined at bivariate analysis and those with p-value <0.1 entered into the multivariate logistic regression model. Factors with a p-value less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Of the 319participants, only 16.6% of patients had adequate knowledge of prescribed antibiotics. Frequency of taking the antibiotics 99.1% and the dose 89.3% had a high recall rate. 9 Findings at multivariate analysis indicate that having secondary education and above (AOR 8.42, [95% CI 2.98-22.83], p-value 0.000) and having a family member who previously suffered from a similar illness (AOR 2.64, [95%C10.27-5.48], p=0.009) significantly increased odds of having adequate knowledge of antibiotics. Conclusion Patient knowledge of prescribed antibiotics was inadequate in this population. Patients‟ having secondary education and above and having a family member who previously suffered from a similar illness is associated with adequate knowledge. Therefore, these findings show that extensive education about the prescribed antibiotics by all health care workers is needed during prescription. Strategies to improve communication with patients of low literacy level are needed to ensure compliance with prescribed antibiotics.