Knowledge, attitude, awareness of rational use of drugs among non- medical students - A questionnaire-based study

Abstract

Background: Irrational prescribing and use of medicines has become a global concern. The consequence of irrational use of drugs poses a serious threat to mankind. The concept of rational use of medicines is new to the younger generation. Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude, awareness on rational use of drugs among non-medical students. Methodology: This cross sectional questionnaire-based study was done in 342 undergraduate students of Saveetha Engineering College, Chennai. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire with 35 questions was used to assess the participants and descriptive analysis of data was done using SPSS software. Result: 50.58% respondents knew about generic drugs and 44.74% felt that self-medication was safe. 50.6% of the students felt that it is important to know the common side effects of drugs and 43.86% was aware about antibiotic resistance. A great majority (99.42%) of students had the habit of looking into the drug label while 45.32% buy medicines without prescription. Conclusion: On an average about 48.29 % students had adequate knowledge on rational use of drugs, while only 38.77% had a positive attitude and 47.21% had enough awareness about it thus emphasizing the need for educating the younger generation.