Assessment Of Knowledge And Practice On Identification And Reporting Of Substandard And Falsified Medical Products Among Health Care Providers In Tanzania Mainland

Abstract

Background: Substandard and falsified medical products are a global problem that affects both developed and developing countries. The existence of these products in the pharmaceutical supply chain undermines the efficiency of the healthcare delivery system due to their harmful effects and economic loss. Recently, studies from different countries have indicated the gap in knowledge and ability to handle substandard and falsified medical products among health care providers. Therefore, this study was done to assess the knowledge and practice of Tanzanian health care providers on the identification and reporting of substandard and falsified medical products. Objective: This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and practice among Tanzanian health care providers on the identification and reporting of substandard and falsified medical products. Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study designed for 428 employed health care providers holding a minimum of a bachelor's degree in Tanzania mainland. The study participants were stratified according to their professions and sampled to participate in the study conveniently. The number of participants in each stratum was determined by its proportion of the study population. Data collection was done by using a questionnaire through an online method using Google forms. The collected data were analyzed by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. The measure of association was done by Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test at 95% Confidence interval (CI) with P ≤ 0.05 considered statistically significant. Two-point Likert scales were used for knowledge and practice levels. Results: A total of 773 HCP’s participated in the study, the results were recorded from 767 (99.2%) HCPs who submitted complete filled responses. About 81.9% and 71.2% of respondents were found to have a good level of knowledge and practice on SF medical products identification and reporting respectively. However, 92.5% of pharmacists were having higher knowledge regarding SF medical products than other cadres (80.2) with P vi =0.003. The knowledge of nurse officers was significantly different (74.6%) from other cadres (84.2%) with P = 0.004 and the practice of medical doctors was also significantly different (66.7%) from others (76.2%) with P =0.004. Furthermore, only 13.2% of the respondents reported having learned about SF medical products from universities. About 53.8% reported having no idea of reporting tools for SF medical products. The knowledge of the HCP’s was significantly associated with age (P < 0.001), experience (P = 0.001), facility type (P = 0.029) and professional cadres (P = 0.003). Again, the respondents' practice on SF medical products identification and reporting was associated with age (P < 0.001), experience (P < 0.001), and professional cadres with P = 0.009. Moreover, the knowledge of respondents regarding SF medical products influenced respondents’ practice with P < 0.001 Conclusions: The findings from this study show that 81.9% and 71.2% of HCP’s have a good knowledge and practice regarding SF medical products identification and reporting respectively. The pharmacists' knowledge and practice were high than other cadres. Moreover, the knowledge of nurses was low whereas, the practice of medical doctors was also low. However, there is limited training from universities on SF medical products to only 13.2% of respondents who reported to have learned it from universities. Again, only 5.9% of the respondents reported using the right form to report SF medical products. The HCP’s from health centers were found to have low knowledge than HCP’s from other health facilities. The respondent's knowledge about SF medical products was found to influence practice. Recommendations: Concerning the findings explored in this study, more interventions are recommended to be done by the regulatory authority. However, more efforts are required to make sure SOPs for identifying and reporting SF medical products are available in all health facilities. Moreover, capacity building to HCPs on how to identify and report any suspected medical product is recommended. Furthermore, Tanzanian higher learning institutions should include modules on substandard and falsified medical products