• Endalkachew Mekonnen Eticha and Workineh Diriba Gemechu.
• Department of Pharmacy, Ambo University, Ambo, Oromia, Ethiopia.
• Patient Prefer Adher. 2021 Jan 1; 15: 1-8.

BackgroundInsufficient knowledge of patients about their dispensed medications may result in inappropriate use of medication which can lead to treatment failure and poor therapeutic outcome.PurposeThis study aimed to determine the exit-knowledge level and its determinants among patients attending outpatient pharmacy of the Ambo General Hospital.Patients And MethodsHospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 study participants who visited the outpatient pharmacy in Ambo General Hospital from October to December 2019. Face-to-face interview was conducted using structured questionnaires to assess the exit-knowledge of the patients about their dispensed medication at the pharmacy exit. A binary logistic regression was employed to determine factors associated with the exit-knowledge. The association was statistically significant at 95% of confidence interval with a p-value less than 0.05.ResultsA total of 400 patients participated in the study with a 100% response rate. Of the total, 222 (55.5%) patients had sufficient exit-knowledge about their dispensed medication. Patients in the age group of 19-29 (AOR=3.1; 95% CI (1.7-5.6) and 49 -59 (AOR = 3.7; 95% CI (2.3-6.0)) had greater exit-knowledge than the elderly participants (>60 years). Participants who reported the comfort of the waiting area was not suitable had lower odds of sufficient exit-knowledge (AOR= 0.7; 95% CI (0.2-3.0)) in comparison to those who reported a suitable waiting area. Lower odds of sufficient exit-knowledge (AOR=0.4; 95% CI (0.3-0.7)) was determined among those who responded fairly clarity of the dispensers guidance in comparison with those reported clear guidance. The gender and the residence of the participants were also had a significant association with the exit-knowledge level.ConclusionModest number of the patients had sufficient exit-knowledge of their dispensed medication. Age, gender, residence, perceived comfort of the waiting area and perceived clarity of the pharmacists' guidances were significantly associated with the exit-knowledge.© 2021 Eticha and Gemechu.

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