Investigation of factors affecting the level of knowledge and behavior of rational drug use in adults: ''Diyarbakir province example''

Objective: The aim of this research is to determine the factors affecting the knowledge level and behavior of adults living in Diyarbakır Province regarding Rational Drug Use. Materials and Methods: This study is a descriptive type of research. Research data were collected through the participation of individuals aged 18 and over living in Diyarbakır Province in an Online Survey between October 2024 and February 2025. The sample of the study was 383 individuals with convenience sampling method. Independent Groups T-test, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Tukey Test and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis were applied in the analysis of data. The sample size to represent the universe was calculated with 80% power, 50% Rational drug use prevalence, 5% margin of deviation and 95% confidence level. Cronbach's α value was accepted as 0.73. Findings: 383 people participated in the study. In the study group, the mean score of 221 people on the Rational Use of Drugs Scale was 37.5±1.06 and the mean score of 163 people on the Rational Use of Drugs Scale was 34.2±2.16. It was determined that 57.7% of the participants had a sufficient level of Rational Use of Drugs. It was determined that 69.2% of the research group were higher education graduates, 44.4% had income less than expenses, 85.6% had social security, 82.8% did not have a chronic disease, 84.3% did not use regular medication, 56.4% first went to a physician, and 48.3% first went to a family health center when they got sick. In the study, it was determined that educational status, social security, use of medication upon recommendation of a relative, reading the medication instructions, use of medication at the dose recommended by the physician, the first person to contact in case of drug side effects and compliance with drug storage conditions created a statistically significant difference (p<0.001). Conclusion: A moderate correlation was found between the independent variables of the study and the rational drug use of the research group (R=0.573). 8 independent variables were determined as determining factors for the rational drug use of the research group. İt was found that gender, age, chronic disease, regular drug use, reading the drug instructions, using the dose recommended by the physician, experiencing drug side effects and complying with drug storage conditions had positive and negative effect on the rational drug use of the participants. Keywords: Rational drug use, knowledge level, adult individuals, rational antibiotic use, related factor