Abstract

The aim of the study is to determine the attituded during illness and drug usage habits of patients attending to Ankara, Gazi University hospital, with a health complaint. This is a descriptional study.
Fifty seven point eight percent of the participants were male and 33.6 %of them were in 20-29 age-group. The mean age was 36.9 ± 13.8 and the median age was 35. Seventy-eight point eight percent were at least high school graduated and 8.2 %did not have any social insurance.
Participants 28.6 %stated that they stop the medical treatment before prescribed date 34.9 %do not read prescriptions, 28.3 %do not check the date of expiry. Twenty five point six percent stated that they use medicines with the advice of friends/relatives/neighbours and 22.6 %advice medicines to others.Fourty four point eight percent had medicines at home which they do not use.
Fourty six percent of participants wanted their doctors to inform them about their illness, 30 %about the length of treatment, 24 %about side-effects of medicines prescribed.
Wrong attitudes were less common among the participants with social insurance. Habits of drugs not reading prescriptions, not checking for expiry date, using with the advice of friends/relatives/neighbours, and advicing drugs to others are significantly higher among participants without social insurance (p

Key words: drug usage, patients, health attendance

Article Language: Turkish English