Investigation of rational drug use and associated factors in adult patients applying to Çukurova University training Family health center

Objective: This study aims at investigating rational drug use and related factors in adult patients admitted to Çukurova University Education Family Health Center. Materials and Methods: The population of the study consisted of individuals aged 18 years and over enrolled in Çukurova University Training Family Health Units 051 and 056. In this cross-sectional study, the participants were administered the 'Rational Drug Use Scale' and 'Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale' together with the sociodemographic information form by face-to-face interview technique between December 15 and January 15.Statistical significance level was taken as 0,05 in all tests. Results: The mean age of the 361 participants was 33.6±11.6 years, 230 (63.7%) were female, and 271 (75.1%) were using over-the-counter medication. It was observed that 73.96% (n=267) of the participants had adequate knowledge about rational drug use, the level of knowledge about rational drug use increased with increasing educational level (p<0,001), participants whose income was higher than their expenses (p<0,05) and those with additional diseases (p<0,05) had higher levels of knowledge about rational drug use (p<0,05). It was determined that those who applied to a health institution when they had a complaint, smokers (p<0,05), those who lived with their families (p<0,05), and those who used over-the-counter medication (p=0.001) had lower rational drug use knowledge levels. There was a moderate positive correlation between the participants' rational drug use knowledge levels and their anxiety and depression levels (r=0.396; r=0.311, respectively). There was a strong positive correlation between anxiety and depression levels of the participants (r=0.788). Conclusion: It is necessary to use social media channels more actively in trainings to be organized on rational drug use, to develop positive strategies on issues such as preventing the use of non-prescription drugs, preventing drug waste, to provide more education and counseling services to the community about drug use by physicians in primary health care institutions, to train health professionals about the principles of rational drug use and to continue the studies to be carried out on this subject. Keywords: Family medicine, rational drug use, anxiety, depression