PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Alhaddad, Mahmoud S.
AU  - Abdallah, Qasem M.
AU  - Alshakhsheer, Sami M.
AU  - Alosaimi, Salman B.
AU  - Althmali, Ahmed R.
AU  - Alahmari, Solaiman A.
TI  - General public knowledge, preferred dosage forms, and beliefs toward medicines in western Saudi Arabia
DP  - 2014 Jun 01
TA  - Saudi Medical Journal
PG  - 578--584
VI  - 35
IP  - 6
4099  - http://smj.org.sa/content/35/6/578.short
4100  - http://smj.org.sa/content/35/6/578.full
SO  - Saudi Med J2014 Jun 01; 35
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To measure general public knowledge, source of knowledge, preferred dosage forms, and beliefs toward medicines.METHODS: A cross-sectional study design using convenience-sampling technique was used. A pre-validated questionnaire was designed and distributed to the general public through face-to-face interviews. All data were analyzed, and p-values less than 0.05 were considered significant. The study took place in the Clinical Pharmacy Department, Taif University, Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between August 2012 and February 2013RESULTS: Nine hundred participants successfully responded to this study. Males represented two-thirds of the respondents (66.8%). In addition, 52% of respondents were of high education level. Modern (74.2%) and alternative medicines (88.7%) were understood by most respondents. Tablets (69.6%) and capsules (37.6%) represented the highest preferred dosage forms. In addition, physicians (66.6%) and pharmacists (46.2%) were the main sources of information regarding medicines. In terms of beliefs, respondents showed wrong beliefs in many statements used in this study.CONCLUSION: There is a need to improve public knowledge and beliefs toward medicines as well as utilizing public preferred dosage forms. In addition, pharmacists should play a major role in these programs since they are experts on medicines and play a more active role in patient education and counseling.