Rx Knowledge
For a class assignment, I took an informal survey of my family members and friends to assess their knowledge about the medications they take. To assess their knowledge, I asked a series of five questions about each medication they take.
- What is the name of the medication?
- Why are you taking that medication?
- How much of the medication do you take?
- When do you take the medication?
- What effects do you look for regarding this medication?
In asking these questions, I was hoping to discover whether or not they know the Trade name of their medication or the generic name; if they knew why they were prescribed each medication; if they know the dose they are supposed to take; if they know what time of day they are supposed to take their medication; and both the desired effects and the adverse effects of the medication.
I also asked them about some common over-the-counter (OTC) medications like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Midol), acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin (Bayer, Excedrin), and naproxen (Aleve). About half of those I surveyed were very knowledgeable about the medications they take and could correctly answer most of the questions. The other half of the people I surveyed were not as knowledgably and didn’t know that ibuprofen is the same as Advil which is the same as Motrin and that acetaminophen is the same as Tylenol.
When it comes to prescription drugs, whether they knew the trade or generic name of their medication depended on whether or not their prescription medication was generic or brand name. Everyone I surveyed was able to tell me at least one (generic or trade) of the names of their medications and they could tell me what they take it for. The next few questions became increasingly difficult for them to answer. Everyone could tell me how many pills they take and when they are supposed to take it but only a few could tell me the exact dose in milligrams they were prescribed. For those that knew the milligrams prescribed, I further asked them if they knew the safe dose of that medication and nobody was able to answer that. Lastly, I asked my friends and family what effects they look for when taking their medication. I asked them what the desired effect is and what some adverse effects are. Everyone could tell me the desired effect, the reason the medication was prescribed. When it came to adverse effects, most knew the typical nausea and stomach upset but most people struggled with this question.
Overall, I learned that there is a need to improve the knowledge of the community regarding prescription and OTC medications they take. As a nurse, I am going to play a key role in patient education and my goal is to make sure that all of my patients are adequately informed on the medications they are taking as well as the resources available to them if they have any follow-up questions or concerns.
