•  
  •  
 

Abstract

The core abilities in correct medication usage was developed in Taiwan through the following stages: literature research and information collection, focus groups and experts meetings to discuss and develop core abilities, disseminate the education activities of these core abilities in 51 schools, and evaluative survey. Forty-four articles were abstracted for reference of voting in the focus groups. The most popular issues related to medication usage and safety were "medications provided by medical or pharmacy experts" and "how to take medications correctly". The experts meetings generated five core abilities of correct medication usages: ability to clearly express personal conditions to your physicians, ability to check information on the medication packages, ability to correctly take medications as prescribed, ability to be the master of yourself in taking medications, and ability to be friends with pharmacists and physicians. 444 teachers and 4035 students participated in the evaluative survey on the core ability of correct medication usage. The education activities implemented enhances the core ability of correct medication usage in the knowledge, attitude, and behaviors of the students and teachers. Each question in the survey was developed with a single correct response and addressed five aspects: knowledge, attitude, practice, actual use of medications, and partnership. The scale has good reliability and validity, with content validity index of 0.91 and the internal consistency reliability above 0.69, the split-half reliability above 0.77, and the test-retest reliability above 0.83. The study concluded that the five core abilities of correct medications usage in Taiwan can enhance the health literacy. Further studies are needed to evaluate the utilization in subjects with different backgrounds or health conditions.

ScienceDirect Link

10.6227/jfda.2012200301

Download

Share

COinS