DRUG COMPLIANCE AMONG PARENTS AND GUARDIANS OF CHILDREN IN ACCRA, GHANA

Through a structured questionnaire, 523 parents and guardians who rece ived prescription to collect medicine for their wards at the pharmacy of the Department of Child Health, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital were int erviewed during the months of March and April, 1993. The objectives we re to determine to what extent they remembered prescription instructio ns for their wards and to find out any other factors that contributed to drug non-compliance. A large percentage (about 80%) were able to re count instructions given correctly. It was however worrying, that quit e a sizeable number could not recount instructions given. This obvious ly contributed to non-compliance. Other factors that were found and wh ich could have contributed to non-compliance were: poor economic stand ing, non-availability of drugs at the hospital pharmacy, availability of similar drugs at home and patients getting well before the schedule d period of treatment is over. Of particular concern was the response by some parents/guardians that they would double the dosage to their w ards to make up for a missed one should they forget any of the schedul ed doses. Workers at pharmacy shops need to use simple practical means of giving prescription instructions, especially to illiterate patient s.