An Investigation into the Level of Knowledge and Attitude of Analgesics (NSAIDs and PCM) Use and its Prevalence Among Undergraduate Healthcare Students in Malaysia

Abstract

Background: The widespread use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and paracetamol (PCM) globally is noteworthy, and healthcare students must acquire substantial knowledge and a positive attitude regarding analgesic use. Healthcare undergraduates also exhibited a high prevalence of analgesic use. The primary issue is the uncertainty surrounding the level of knowledge and attitude of healthcare undergraduates toward the correct and safe use of analgesics, particularly NSAIDs and PCM. Objective: This study aims to explore Malaysian undergraduate healthcare students' level of knowledge, attitude, and prevalence of analgesic use. Methodology: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted by using voluntary anonymous self-administered online structured questionnaires. 392 undergraduate students from different healthcare-related courses participated in this study. The socio-demographic characteristics of the participants were analysed using descriptive statistics, along with the prevalence using cross-tabulations, frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. The Chi-square test (level of significance, p-value <0.05 and 95% CI) was used to assess the association or relationships between socio-demographic profiles and the level of knowledge and attitude toward analgesic use. Results: There is a high prevalence (84.9%) of analgesic use among the respondents. The majority of the respondents possess a good level of knowledge (45.4%) and attitude (44.1%) when it comes to the use of analgesics. Conclusion: The prevalence of analgesics use, specifically NSAIDs and PCM is high among Malaysian undergraduate healthcare students. While the majority of them were found to have a good level of knowledge and attitude towards the use of analgesics, there is only a small difference in percentage with those with moderate knowledge and attitude. Hence, it is necessary to implement interventions aiming to decrease the prevalence of analgesic usage among these students and enhance their knowledge and attitudes.