Alharthi Mohammed S, Almalki Hassan, Alsubaie Faisal, Alotaibe Fawaz, Abuasiah Abdullah, Basha Faisal, Aldurdunji Mohammed M, Alorfi Nasser M
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Pharmaceutical Practices, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Front Med (Lausanne). 2024 Nov 12;11:1435707. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1435707. eCollection 2024.
Over-the-counter (OTC) medications are those obtained without a medical prescription from a healthcare professional. With the increasing availability of information from various sources, including social media, pharmacy students may be exposed to unreliable or inaccurate data. Incorrect medication use is particularly concerning due to its potential risk of causing adverse health effects." Hence, this study aims to determine students' knowledge and attitudes at Taif University's pharmacy college.
This research utilized a cross-sectional online questionnaire-based study, employing data from a sample of 450 pharmacy students from Taif University in Saudi Arabia. Descriptive analysis included descriptive and differential analysis. The data were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) Version 27.
The majority of participants, 297 (88.2%), were aware that inappropriate use of over-the-counter medications might have negative implications. A total of 233 participants (51.8%) reported having previously used an OTC medication. Also, 293 (65.1%), were aware that using OTC medications beyond their expiration date was harmful. A total of 280 participants (62.2%) had a high knowledge of OTC medication, whereas 170 respondents (37.8%) had a low level of knowledge. A significant correlation was found between age, year of study, and the use of OTC medication -values <0.05 (0.016*, 0.003*, and 0.001* respectively) and understanding of OTC medication. Gender had no significant influence on knowledge of OTC ( > 0.05).
The study found positive attitudes toward OTC medications. Due to increased pharmaceutical exposure and self-medication, upper-year students and OTC course graduates comprehend OTC medications better. The examination found safety protocol violations in expiration dates, prescription label interpretation, and storage. Therefore, the study provides useful information for future attempts. Also, this study may contribute to the literature and guide future research to fill knowledge gaps.
非处方药（OTC）是指无需医疗专业人员开具处方即可获得的药物。随着包括社交媒体在内的各种信息来源的日益普及，药学专业学生可能会接触到不可靠或不准确的数据。由于不正确用药可能会对健康造成不良影响，因此尤其令人担忧。”因此，本研究旨在确定塔伊夫大学药学院学生的知识水平和态度。
本研究采用基于在线问卷的横断面研究，使用来自沙特阿拉伯塔伊夫大学450名药学专业学生样本的数据。描述性分析包括描述性分析和差异性分析。使用社会科学统计软件包（SPSS）27版对数据进行分析。
大多数参与者，即297人（88.2%），意识到不当使用非处方药可能会产生负面影响。共有233名参与者（51.8%）报告曾使用过非处方药。此外，293人（65.1%）意识到使用过期的非处方药是有害的。共有280名参与者（62.2%）对非处方药有较高的了解，而170名受访者（37.8%）的知识水平较低。年龄、学习年份与非处方药的使用之间存在显著相关性——值<0.05（分别为0.016*、0.003*和0.001*）以及对非处方药的理解。性别对非处方药知识没有显著影响（>0.05）。
该研究发现学生对非处方药持积极态度。由于药学接触和自我用药的增加，高年级学生和非处方药课程毕业生对非处方药的理解更好。检查发现，在有效期、处方标签解读和储存方面存在违反安全规定的情况。因此，该研究为未来的尝试提供了有用的信息。此外，本研究可能会为文献做出贡献，并指导未来的研究以填补知识空白。
