dc.description.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 |
en_US |