Knowledge, attitude, and practice of medication among Haikou residents

Our study aims to explore the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) and its influencing factors of medication among residents in Haikou, the capital city of Hainan Province, and inform the development of interventions to reduce residents' medication errors.

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the KAP of medication among Haikou residents and its influencing factors from March to September 2019.

A total of 471 valid questionnaires were collected (245 online and 226 offline), with an effective recovery rate of 94.2%. The average score of KAP of medication were 52.2±13.08, 27.34±8.14, and 51.54±9.22, respectively. The knowledge score reached "good" in the evaluation criteria of the questionnaire, and the attitude and practice scores were "fair". Multiple linear regression analysis revealed the medication knowledge increased with age; a lower education degree was associated with less knowledge and more medication errors, and a higher education level was associated with more access to medication knowledge.

Education on rational drug use should be performed via multiple ways to promote rational drug use and reduce risky medication behaviors, particularly among residents with low education degrees, e.g., drug counseling and guidance, regularly push medication science popularization, public welfare lecture on rational drug use, organize and compile popular science books.