Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41146157›Full record

ArticleBMC medical education2025

Knowledge, barriers, attitude, perception, and ability of public and private institution graduating pharmacy students toward deprescribing and polypharmacy: a cross-sectional survey study in Northwest Ethiopia.

Muluken Adela Alemu, Yared Andargie Ferede, Abraham Nigussie Assefa, Eshetie Melese Birru, Assefa Kebad Mengesha, Taklo Simeneh Yazie, Getaye Tessema Desta, Tesfagegn Gobezie Yiblet, Tesfaye Yimer Tadesse, Woretaw Sisay Zewudu

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Article in BMC medical education, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Muluken Adela AlemuPharmacy Education and Service Directorate, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, PO Box +272, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia. muladal1234@gmail.com.
Yared Andargie FeredePharmacy Education and Service Directorate, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, PO Box +272, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia.
Abraham Nigussie AssefaPharmacy Education and Service Directorate, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, PO Box +272, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia.
Eshetie Melese BirruCurtin Medical School, Curtin University, Bentley, Western, Australia.
Assefa Kebad MengeshaPharmacy Education and Service Directorate, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, PO Box +196, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Taklo Simeneh YaziePharmacy Education and Service Directorate, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, PO Box +272, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia.
Getaye Tessema DestaPharmacy Education and Service Directorate, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, PO Box +272, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia.
Tesfagegn Gobezie YibletPharmacy Education and Service Directorate, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, PO Box +272, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia.
Tesfaye Yimer TadessePharmacy Education and Service Directorate, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, PO Box +272, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia.
Woretaw Sisay ZewuduPharmacy Education and Service Directorate, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, PO Box +272, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPolypharmacy is a simultaneous use of multiple drugs (five or more drugs for general polypharmacy and more than two drugs for psychotropic polypharmacy). If unmanaged, it may lead to an increased incidence of problems like adverse drug reactions which in turn resulted initiation of deprescribing as a solution. For effective implementation of deprescribing, equipping pharmacy students with adequate knowledge and training through a well-structured curriculum is important. Evaluating both the attitudes and perceptions of students for polypharmacy and deprescribing is crucial to modify the curriculum and shape educational strategies. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the attitudes and perceptions of graduating pharmacy students toward polypharmacy and deprescribing in Colleges and Universities in northwest Ethiopia.

methodA cross-sectional survey study was conducted among graduating degree pharmacy students from licensed governmental and non-governmental higher institutions from 15 May to 30 November 2024 using both online and paper based structured questionnaires. Data werecollected from 205 graduating students. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 24 using ANOVA, Post Hoc, and t-tests. A p  value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.

resultThe majority (58%) of the participants were not familiar about deprescribing while 85.9% heard about the term polypharmacy. Less than half of participants (42.9%) identified the definition of deprescribing, while 45.4% and 18.5% were able to identify the minimum number of drugs to declare general polypharmacy and psychotropic polypharmacy respectively. About 17.1% of students reported they got curriculum based education on deprescribing while 64.4% on polypharmacy. Near to three-fourth (74.2%) and 75.2% of the students reported that they got inadequate education on deprescribing and polypharmacy respectively. Students from government institutions reported that their school curriculum prepared them to deprescribe medications better as compared with students from private institutions (2.86 ± 0.12 vs. 1.15 ± 0.03, p < 0.001). Similarly students from government institutions declared they have better ability to deprescribe medications than private institution students (p < 0.001). Furthermore, government institution students have better attitude and confidence (p < 0.001) to deprescribe medications as compared to private institution students. The common barriers for deprescribing are related to problems in the curriculum, inadequate preparation of graduating pharmacy students, and patients’ willingness.

conclusionThis study highlighted inadequate knowledge and practice of students on deprescribing and polypharmacy and a need for curriculum reform to equip students with appropriate knowledge and skill about deprescribing and polypharmacy in Ethiopian pharmacy schools. The reform should also include securing appropriate content in the curriculum, curriculum standardization across institutions, and fostering active learning strategies.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelDeprescriptionsEducation, PharmacyHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticePolypharmacyStudents, PharmacyAdultCross-Sectional StudiesCurriculumEthiopiaFemaleHumansMaleSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultAttitudeDeprescribingKnowledgePolypharmacy

Identifiers

PMID41146157
PMCPMC12560386

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.