Abstract:
Non-adherence by patients to prescribed medications has significant financial consequences.
Increasing patient knowledge on drug therapy is said to improve compliance. To design and
implement new interventions and to improve patients' knowledge about prescribed drugs,
the amount of drug information received by patients and their socio-demographic
characteristics should be known. Thereby, a descriptive profile could be developed, which
would be useful to doctors and pharmacists in helping to identify patients with specific socio
demographic characteristics, who need special attention when providing drug information.
This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in November 2006 with the objective
to describe the socio-demographic characteristics of patients treated at the Out Patient
Department of the North Colombo Teaching Hospital. Ragama and to assess the information
received by them about drugs, issued to them from the pharmacy and the source of that
knowledge (including written information). This descriptive cross-sectional study was
carried out in November 2006 With the objective to describe the socio-demographic
characteristics of patients treated at the out Patient Department of the North Colombo
Teaching Hospital, Ragama and to assess the Information received by them about drugs,
issued to them from the pharmacy and the source of that knowledge ( including written
information). The research showed that respondent's age had no influence on the amount of
drug information known to them, Female respondents had better drug knowledge than
males, Respondent's level of education had a positive influence on the amount of drug
information known to them. The findings of this study calls for improvement in the
provision of drug information to patients
