Abstract:
Background: Oral liquid medicines are frequently prescribed dosage forms for pediatric patients
and the safe use of these medicines is still a major problem. Therefore, it is a timely requirement
to assess the awareness of pediatric caregivers on the household storage of oral liquid medicines.
Objective: To assess the knowledge, practices and attitudes of pediatric caregivers in Wariyapola
Medical Officer of Health (MOH) services division, Kurunegala district, Sri Lanka on the
household storage of oral liquid medicines (OLM)
Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on pediatric caregivers in Wariyapola
MOH area using a convenient sampling method. Data was collected using a pre-tested
questionnaire by the researchers and clinical experts. The questionnaire consisted of socio
demographic data, knowledge, practices and attitudes on household storage of OLM. Likert scale
and yes/no questions were used to assess knowledge, practices and attitude. Data were analysed
using SPSS version 20.0.
Results: The total number of participants was 405. Of them, 259 (64%) were females. Among the
total respondents, 76.8% had a ‘favourable knowledge’ of household storage of OLM as per their
knowledge level. The least attention (80.7%) was towards the ‘moisture absorption’ of OLM
during storage practices. The highest attention (96%) was on the ‘expiry date’ mentioned in the
label. The number of children (p=0.001) and the respondents' educational level (p=0.000)
significantly influenced the knowledge. Furthermore, 71.1% of the respondents were willing to
participate in awareness programs and 73.6% of the respondents believed it would be beneficial to
receive advice from pharmacists on how to properly store OLM.
Conclusion: The knowledge, practices and attitudes of pediatric caregivers on household storage
of OLM are not optimal. People should be educated about the correct storage methods and risk of
improper storage of OLM at home.
