TY - JOUR
T1 - Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards the Use of Over-the-Counter Medicines
T2 - An Online Survey among Bruneian Adults amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
AU - Bahrin Dzulkharnain, Faiqah Batrisyia Syaza
AU - Shafqat, Naeem
AU - Hermansyah, Andi
AU - Tan, Ching Siang
AU - Koh, David
AU - Goh, Khang Wen
AU - Ming, Long Chiau
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.
PY - 2022/8
Y1 - 2022/8
N2 - Globally, self-medication has increased, where 25% of adults use OTC medicines. This research is intended to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding OTC medicines among adults in Brunei Darussalam. An online cross-sectional survey was performed using a questionnaire adapted from similar research conducted among students in Brunei Darussalam. A total of 364 responses were collected, where the median age of the study participants was 23 years. The mean knowledge score was 7.3 out of 9, with most respondents (77.7%) having good knowledge of OTC medicines. Almost all (92.9%) showed a positive attitude towards OTC use. A statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) was observed in attitude scores between age groups and education levels. Most of the study participants (88.2%) have practiced self-medication with OTC medicines, mainly due to their easy accessibility (79.4%). A small number practiced improper habits, such as consuming more than the recommended dose (6.0%) and not checking the expiry date (0.5%). The practice of self-medicating with OTC medicines can be advantageous when patients fully know the medications and nature of their disease. Knowledge of proper OTC medicine use among adults in Brunei Darussalam is essential to avoid improper user practices and potential health hazards associated with the misuse of medications.
AB - Globally, self-medication has increased, where 25% of adults use OTC medicines. This research is intended to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding OTC medicines among adults in Brunei Darussalam. An online cross-sectional survey was performed using a questionnaire adapted from similar research conducted among students in Brunei Darussalam. A total of 364 responses were collected, where the median age of the study participants was 23 years. The mean knowledge score was 7.3 out of 9, with most respondents (77.7%) having good knowledge of OTC medicines. Almost all (92.9%) showed a positive attitude towards OTC use. A statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) was observed in attitude scores between age groups and education levels. Most of the study participants (88.2%) have practiced self-medication with OTC medicines, mainly due to their easy accessibility (79.4%). A small number practiced improper habits, such as consuming more than the recommended dose (6.0%) and not checking the expiry date (0.5%). The practice of self-medicating with OTC medicines can be advantageous when patients fully know the medications and nature of their disease. Knowledge of proper OTC medicine use among adults in Brunei Darussalam is essential to avoid improper user practices and potential health hazards associated with the misuse of medications.
KW - essential medicines access
KW - health care
KW - health outcomes self-medication
KW - health system access
KW - human medicine
KW - medicine
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85136990798&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/su14159033
DO - 10.3390/su14159033
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85136990798
SN - 2071-1050
VL - 14
JO - Sustainability (Switzerland)
JF - Sustainability (Switzerland)
IS - 15
M1 - 9033
ER -
