title: Sources of drug information for patients with chronic conditions in Alexandria, Egypt.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to identify patients' perceived drug knowledge, need for more information and drug information sources, and how they varied by patient characteristics, particularly education level.
  
  
  METHODS
  A convenience sample of 366 adult patients was interviewed when leaving 20 Egyptian pharmacies after collecting a dispensed prescription. Patients were asked about their (1) perceived knowledge of their drugs' purpose, (2) use of package inserts (PIs) to learn about side effects, contraindications and drug interactions, (3) perceived need to know more about their drugs and (4) general sources of drug information beyond healthcare providers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than 30% of the patients reported that they did not know the purpose of at least one of their drugs and only read PIs selectively. Whereas 36% read about drug interactions, more reported reading about side effects (65%) and contraindications (60%) in PIs. Sixty-nine per cent of patients reported that they needed more information about their drugs. This was true for 86.8% of patients with limited education compared to 48.5% of university graduates. University graduates reported using PI topics, newspapers, internet, TV and family and friends as sources of drug information at significantly higher rates than did patients with lower levels of education.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a need for healthcare professionals to evaluate patient comprehension and needs for drug information, especially for patients with less schooling. Healthcare providers should also consider other information sources that a patient is using.
authors.affiliation: Social and Administrative Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA. mohamedezzat21@gmail.com
authors.forename: Mohamed E K
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Amin
authors.forename: Betty A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Chewning
authors.forename: Ashraf M H
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wahdan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004346:Drug Information Services; D004348:Drug Labeling; D004534:Egypt; D005260:Female; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged