Knowledge Levels of Pregnant Women on Rational Drug Use and Determination of Effective Factors

Abstract

Objective: It is aimed to determine the knowledge levels of pregnant women regarding rational drug use and the affecting factors.

Methods: The sample of this descriptive and correlational study, which was conducted between March and June 2024 at İstanbul Başaksehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital, consisted of 377 pregnant women who applied to the antenatal clinic. The data were collected using personal characteristics and pregnancy information form and the Rational Drug Use (RDU) scale.

Results: The mean age of the pregnant women was 29.16 ± 5.35 years. About 68.4% had a high school education or higher, 70.3% were not employed, 84.6% lived in a nuclear family type, and 64.7% of the pregnancies were planned. Among the pregnant women, 86.2% used medication during pregnancy, with 48.8% starting in the first trimester. The most frequently used medications were iron supplements, vitamin D+multivitamins, and folic acid. Additionally, 81.4% checked medication expiration dates, and 54.4% read the medication guides. The average score on the RDU scale for the pregnant women was 34.22 ± 5.36, with 60.5% scoring 35 points or higher. Age, employment status, family type, pregnancy planning status, checking expiration date before use, reading medication package insert, educational status, income-expenditure status, and cost of medications have an effect on RDU.

Conclusion: Medication use during pregnancy is common, but rational drug use (RDU) levels remain close to the cut-off value, indicating a need for improvement. Strengthening preconception and prenatal education on RDU is essential to ensure safe medication use for maternal and fetal health.

Cite this article as: Özkan A, Acar Z, Bebitoğlu BT, Aditepe EDY. Knowledge levels of pregnant women on rational drug use and determination of effective factors. Arch Health Sci Res. 2025; 12, 0170, doi: 10.5152/ArcHealthSciRes.2025.24170.