KNOWLEDGE, AWARENESS AND ATTITUDES REGARDING THE RATIONAL USE OF MEDICINES BETWEEN COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS AND PHARMACY STUDENTS

Background: Rational Drug Use (RDU) is crucial in ensuring safe and efficient medication practices, but awareness levels between healthcare practitioners might differ. Objective: The objective of this research was to evaluate and contrast the knowledge, awareness, and attitudes towards RDU among final-year or internship-level pharmacy students and community pharmacists regarding self-medication, implications of terminating medication, and reading medicine labels. Methodology: Three-month prospective observational study in May 2025 in pharmacy colleges and community pharmacies with participation of 176 students and pharmacists (96 students and 80 pharmacists) excluding nurses working in multispecialty, medical college hospitals, and nursing homes. Result: Pharmacists showed higher awareness about RDU (76.25%) compared to students (40.63%), most likely because of exposure to field experiences, and pharmacists were more aware of risk related to self-medication (65%) than students (52%). Instruction reading was somewhat more prevalent among students, and pharmacists (61.25%) were better trained in dealing with medicines compared to students (48.75%). Pharmacists were also better informed regarding antibiotic resistance. The paper concludes that both groups need enhanced education on safe use of medicines to support the health of the community.