Digital intervention for household drug management: Impacts on knowledge, attitudes, practices, and economic losses

Inadequate household medication management may lead to health risks and economic losses related to leftover, damaged, or expired medicines. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the “Kelola Obatku” mobile application on knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) and medicine-related economic values. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest study with control and intervention groups was conducted among 60 adult respondents in Central Java, Indonesia, between August and November 2025. The intervention group used the mobile application for 3 months. Data were collected using validated questionnaires, and economic values were calculated in Indonesian rupiah based on the maximum retail price stated on medicine packaging. The application demonstrated acceptable usability, with an overall score of 80.33%. Between-group analysis showed significant improvements in knowledge and attitudes based on delta scores ( p = 0.001 and p = 0.017, respectively), while practice did not improve significantly. No significant between-group differences were observed in medicine-related economic values. However, within-group analysis in the intervention group showed significant reductions in damaged and expired medicine values ( p = 0.023 and p = 0.047, respectively). These findings suggest that the application may improve knowledge and attitudes and support better identification of damaged and expired medicines.