'Sharing may not be caring' - Prescription medication sharing among adults in Saudi Arabia

The aim of the current study was to describe prescription medication sharing behaviours (i.e. borrowing and lending) among adults living in Saudi Arabia.

This cross-sectional survey was conducted in Saudi Arabia during December 2018. The eligibility criteria were an ability to communicate in Arabic or English and aged ≥18 years. An online survey was distributed to a convenience sample, supplemented by snowballing, by email and social media via an Internet link leading to a web-based survey platform in QuestionPro to assess their medication sharing behaviours. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess the associations.

A total of 667 completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of borrowing and lending prescription medication was found to be 14% and 16% in 2018 (past year), respectively. Twenty per cent of participants revealed that they had given a medication prescribed for one child to another child in their care, and 75% reported having leftover prescription medicine at home. The majority (90%) had borrowed or lent on one to three occasions. A wide range of medications were borrowed and lent mainly between immediate family members. Different reasons have been identified for medicine borrowing or lending behaviours.

Borrowing and lending prescription medications are a common practice in the Saudi population. Further research is warranted into the development of successful approaches or interventions to reduce medication sharing behaviour.