Knowledge, attitude, and compliance dimensions of antibiotic therapy with PPIs: A community pharmacy-based study

This pilot project was conducted to measure the effectiveness of patient package inserts (PPIs) when controlled interventions by pharmacists are increased. The PPIs were designed to be easily understood by patients and included information on possible side effects, interactions, compliance and instructions on how to take the medication. PPIs for penicillin and ampicillin were evaluated. Data analysis yielded the following results for respondents receiving PPIs as compared with those who did not: satisfaction with the amount of drug information received; increase in knowledge concerning the drug's proper use; higher rates of compliance; high rating given to the "helpfullness" of the PPI information; interest in receiving PPIs routinely, particularly with new prescriptions. The PPIs developed for this study were found to be valuable tools to respondents for understanding how to take their medications, both in terms of knowledge and behavior. Verbal reinforcement of the PPI by the pharmacist was also found to be helpful.