Objective: To develop, translate, and validate a questionnaire for the assessment patients' KAP towards unused medications in Qatar homes (i.e., QUM-Qatar).
Setting: This cross-sectional validation study was conducted among randomly selected outpatients visiting various public and private pharmacies in Qatar between September 2019 and February 2020.
Method: Nine experts in the field of pharmacy practice with Qatar contextual background established the content validity of the instrument. The validity was quantified using content validity index (CVI). Furthermore, construct validity was performed using principal component analysis (PCA), whereas internal consistency reliability of items was determined using Cronbach's alpha. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA 15 statistical software.
Main outcome measure: The psychometric properties of the QUM-Qatar assessment instrument.
Results: An English/Arabic questionnaire was developed and validated. Content validity in the form of scale-level-CVI (S-CVI)/Average and S-CVI/UA was 0.88 and 0.84, respectively, suggesting adequate relevant content of the questionnaire. Variation explained by the multivariate model was 85.0% for knowledge, 94.8% for attitude, and 89.8% for practice. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.68, 0.82, and 0.84, for knowledge, attitude, and practice domains, respectively. From the psychometric results obtained, the questionnaire's validity and reliability were attained.
Conclusion: The QUM-Qatar instrument has acceptable psychometric properties and has the potential for future use in research and practice to assess KAP towards unused medications in Qatar and elsewhere. It may consequently help in improving medication use and mitigating the negative health, economic, and environmental impacts of unused medications.Impacts on practice.•There is now a valid and reliable English/Arabic language questionnaire to assess patients' KAP towards unused medications.•Policymakers can utilize this questionnaire to develop evidence-based policies and strategies for managing unused medications and their disposal.•To improve medication use review, rational use of medicines, and adherence, it is necessary to consider patient-reported outcomes that may eventually reflect on saving health, economic resources, and environment.
AIM: To explore patients' insights into unused medications during the COVID-19 outbreak.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 patients attending various public and private healthcare facilities in Qatar between January and July 2021. A thematic analysis approach was utilized, with 2 researchers independently analyzing, comparing, and discussing the coding. The resulting themes were further discussed in research group meetings until a consensus was reached.
RESULTS: Seven themes emerged: awareness of unused medications and their impacts on health, economy, and the environment; barriers contributing to nonadherence/unused medications; sources of medications; factors facilitating medication use; patients' behaviors toward donated medications/reuse; patients' awareness of medication storage requirements; and patients' desire to appropriately dispose of unused medications.
CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 outbreak disrupted medication supply and adherence, resulting in an increase in unused medications and inappropriate disposal. Adherence is crucial for improving patients' health and preserving medications. Implementing mail-return systems for unused medications could be a viable solution during disease outbreaks.
STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey using a pretested questionnaire was performed between February 2020 and October 2020. Descriptive statistics, Man Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis Rank-Sum tests were applied. The Chi square test assessed the association between socio-demographic characteristics and KAP scores. Characteristics that were found significantly associated with KAP (i.e., p-values <0.05) were further included as predictor variables in the multiple linear regression model.
RESULTS: All items pertaining to patients' knowledge were found to be good (mean score > 3), except for "awareness of unwanted medication return policy" (mean score < 3), i.e., the lowest level of patient agreement (31 %) (median (M) = 3, Interquartile Range (IQR) = 3). Their attitude was generally good (mean score > 3). Conversely, their practice toward medication supply was poor (mean score < 3). Possible future use was the most reported reason (79 %) for keeping medications at home, and home trash was the most widely disposing place of unused ones (76 %). Knowledge was significantly higher among non-laborers and other occupations than among patients with no work (p