Public Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding the Use of Over-The-Counter (OTC) Analgesics in Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Over-the-counter analgesics like paracetamol and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely accessible to the general population. However, ensuring their safe and effective usage is crucial by considering individuals' knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward these med...

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Published in:Patient preference and adherence 2023-01, Vol.17, p.2569-2578
Main Authors: Sinuraya, Rano Kurnia, Wulandari, Chalisma, Amalia, Riezki, Puspitasari, Irma M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetaminophen
analgesic
Analgesics
attitudes
behavior
Comparative analysis
Health attitudes
Health behavior
Health literacy
knowledge
Nonprescription drugs
nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs
nsaid
Original Research
Patient compliance
Surveys
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Summary:Background: Over-the-counter analgesics like paracetamol and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely accessible to the general population. However, ensuring their safe and effective usage is crucial by considering individuals' knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward these medications. Objective: This study aimed to assess the general population's knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the use of over-thecounter analgesics. Methods: This cross-sectional study took place in Indonesia from December 2019 to June 2020. A validated questionnaire was used to survey a total of 582 respondents. A comparative analysis examined the variations in mean scores for respondents' characteristics concerning their knowledge, attitude, and practice. A regression analysis was also employed to explore the factors associated with adopting good analgesia practices. Results: The findings of the study revealed significant differences in average knowledge scores related to gender, educational attainment, and employment status for the use of both paracetamol and NSAIDs. Regarding knowledge, the respondents demonstrated a higher average score for analgesics (4.56 [+ or -] 1.84) than NSAIDs (2.881 [+ or -] 2.40), out of a maximum score of 6 points. The results indicate that the respondents obtained a low score for attitude (6.80 [+ or -] 3.74) out of 16 points and a positive score for practice (2.71 [+ or -] 0.48) out of 3 points regarding using analgesics. Moreover, the regression analysis revealed that gender, residing near primary health care facilities, and having sound knowledge of NSAID use were significant predictors of good analgesic practice (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The respondents demonstrated a greater understanding of analgesics compared with NSAIDs. However, despite this higher knowledge level, they had relatively low attitude scores but positive practice scores, indicating a discrepancy between attitudes and actual behavior in using analgesics. Keywords: knowledge, attitudes, behavior, analgesic, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, NSAID
ISSN:1177-889X
1177-889X
DOI:10.2147/PPA.S426290