Labelling patterns and patient knowledge about dispensed medicines

Background: A good medicine label gives patients the appropriate information to use their medicines correctly. Adequate patient knowledge about dispensed medicines improves compliance and maximizes therapy effectiveness. It is, however, common to see medicines dispensed without labels, with inadequate or illegible labels in healthcare facilities in Uganda. In addition, poor patient teaching about dispensed medications seems common.Aim: To investigate the labeling patterns and determine the levels of patient knowledge about medicines dispensed at the general Outpatient clinic, Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using a quantitative approach. We examined labeling patterns using 7 dispensing fields adapted from Ministry of Health labeling guidelines. We also investigated patient knowledge in an exit interview using 5 items adapted from Ministry of Health patient teaching guidelines.Results: A total of 131 participants were enrolled in the study. Overall, all medicines had inadequate labels and 26% of patients had adequate knowledge about dispensed medicines. Finally, no predictor was statistically associated with patient knowledge.