Evaluation of the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of elderly people living within the borders of Lapta Municipality in the northern part of Cyprus regarding drug use

Aims: Since problems with medication use lead to increased mortality and morbidity, elderly individuals should use their medications correctly. This study was conducted to determine the drug use behaviors of elderly patients and the factors affecting these behaviors. Methods: The study was conducted with 250 elderly individuals who were registered at the Lapta Health Center and who used medication in the villages of Lapta Municipality. A questionnaire form created by the researcher and the elderly medication use behaviors scale were used to collect the data. Results: It was determined that 49.2% of the elderly people who participated in our study were between 65-69 years of age, 50.04% were male, 38.0% used 2-3 medicines a day, 84.0% knew the name of the medicine they used, 90% knew the purpose of the medicine they used, 95.6% paid attention to the use of the medicine, but 65.2% forgot to take the medicine and 50.9% took the medicine when they thought of it. It was also concluded that 80.8% of the elderly paid attention to the expiration date of the medication, 90.4% did not recommend the medication to others, 92.8% did not use the medication recommended by others, 83.6% did not take medication without asking the doctor, 74.4% did not take medication without a prescription and if they had to use it, it was painkillers. Conclusion: It was found that those who had university education or higher, who had education, who had social security, who went to check-ups at the time recommended by the doctor, who received education about the disease, who knew the name and purpose of the drug used and who paid attention to its use had positive behaviors towards drug use. It was determined that the participants scored 39.61+7.91 (min=19, max=76) points on the scale where a decrease in score indicates positive behavior towards drug use. The importance of providing drug education to elderly individuals and preparing this education by paying attention to characteristics such as the educational status and social security status of the individual was determined.