Abstract:

Aim: The rational use of drugs (RUD) requires that, patients receive medications appropriate to their clinical needs in doses that meet their own individual requirements for an adequate period of time and at the lowest cost. The most realistic way of making interventions to society more effective and appropriate is to know the awareness levels and approaches of the patients on this issue. The purpose of this study is; it is the presentation of scientific data in order to take necessary precautions by revealing the knowledge and behavior of patients about RUD. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in 2018 as a survey study with patients (n=152) hospitalized at the University of Health Sciences Bursa Yuksek Ihtisas Training and Research Hospital. Results: This study reveals the following: 91.6% of the patients applied to a doctor in case of illness; analgesics (71.7%) were the leading drugs without recipe; who used their treatment within the period recommended by the physician the rate was 43.4%; 67.8% of the patients did not accept the equivalent drug; 20% of patients throw away their remaining medication from the treatment to trash and 63.6% of them had at least 1 box of unused or unfinished drugs at home; 4.1% of the patients could directly use non-drug treatment products advertised in the press, and 30% used vitamin and mineral support. Discussion and Conclusion: As a result of this study, it has been shown that although some of the RUD parameters related to the patient tend to improve, there are still many erroneous behaviors. These data, which are put forward for the adoption of the RUD patient-centered approach, will contribute to correcting the deficiencies.

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