Effects of a National Health Education Program on the General Medication Knowledge of the Public
Date Issued
2004
Date
2004
Author(s)
Huang, Yen-Ming
DOI
zh-TW
Abstract
The lack of health information and the high proportion of inappropriate use of medication by the general public has long been a problem in Taiwan. One of the reasons responsible for the phenomena might be the lack of an active role of pharmacists in large scale health education program. As such, a national program, entitled “Community Education Program on Pharmacy and Medications”, was initiated by the Bureau of Pharmaceutical Affairs, Department of Health in year 2003 to elicit the expertise of pharmacists to educate the public. The goal of the program was to improve the general medication knowledge of the public and to promote the policy of the government to separate the practice of prescribing and dispensing. This research was designed to evaluate the effects of this education program by analyzing the changes in medication knowledge among the participants.
This study was a single group pre- and post-comparison. A preliminary study was completed on a separate study population to evaluate the appropriateness of the data collection tools. The final evaluation of this study included 955 community residents who participated in the education program by taking it as an elective course in community colleges between September 2003 and January 2004. The general medication knowledge of the participants was evaluated before and after the course. Potential factors that might affect the learning outcome of a participant were also explored in this study.
The study results found that the higher education level and younger age were important factors for better general medication knowledge at the baseline. Female also were more aware of drug-related information than males. All participants showed significant improvement in general medication knowledge ( p＜0.001 ) after the program. Education level appeared to be the most important determinant on general medication knowledge at the baseline and on the ability for a participant to improve his/her knowledge.
This study supported the belief that pharmacists can effectively deliver the knowledge of drug usage and general medication to the public. It is therefore suggested that pharmacists be more active in participating in the public education on drug usage and related health information. To advance the professional status in Taiwan, pharmacists should be encouraged to constantly update their own professional knowledge, actively evaluate the needs for health information of their patients and continue to improve the communication skills with their patients.
Meanwhile, since the evaluation results attested the effectiveness of the program, it should continue to be sponsored by the authorities. It is expected that with a long-term commitment from the government agencies and the profession in the program, in the near future, we should be able to observe a reduction in inappropriate use of medication and an improvement in the health of the public in Taiwan.
Subjects
民眾
用藥教育
藥師
社區教育推展藥學知識
社區大學
pharmacist
health education
the public
community college
community education program on pharmacy and medica
Type
text
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