Study on patient’s awareness of asthma at the Out-Patient Pharmacy Sarawak General Hospital

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the level of awareness in asthmatic patients about their medication. Secondly we intend to assess the performance to determining patients’ awareness when it comes to asthma.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study was an anonymous, questionnaire-based, and descriptive. A questionnaire that consists of 6 questions on patients’ asthma medication was distributed to 167 respondents. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 17 and Microsoft Excel. The results were expressed as figures, graph and percentages.

RESULTS: Out of 168 respondents, 50 % (n=84) were females and 50% (n=84) were males. Most of the respondents with high awareness of their asthma medication stated that they were given proper explanation by medical staffs regarding their medication and are able to use administer their medication the proper way. Some respondents claim that they do not have the source of information regarding their medication and so, are unable to administer it correctly. Few respondents said they had some miscommunication issues when they were told about their medication such as language barriers or misinterpretation of information given. Out of 168 respondents, 74 (44.04%) had the highest awareness, followed by respondents with medium awareness level were 45 (26.79%) and 49 (29.16%) were respondents with low awareness level.

CONCLUSION: This descriptive study shows that the awareness level of asthma patients regarding their medication and technique of administration in the in-patient pharmacy of Sarawak General Hospital varies. Patients need more guidance and explanation on their medication and the technique of administration of their medication to ensure better control of their asthma.