TY  - JOUR
T1  - Assessing Pharmacy Students’ Preparedness and Perceptions on Deprescribing and Polypharmacy in Northwest Ethiopia
A1  - Matthew A. Reed
A1  - Olivia S. Turner
A1  - Emily K. Johnson
JF  - Annals of Pharmacy Education, Safety, and Public Health Advocacy
JO  - Ann Pharm Educ Saf Public Health Advocacy
SN  - 3108-4850
Y1  - 2021
VL  - 1
IS  - 1
DO  - 10.51847/uPdNt2G1u2
SP  - 98
EP  - 111
N2  - Polypharmacy, which involves the use of multiple medications at the same time—commonly five or more drugs for general cases and over two for psychotropic treatments—can lead to complications such as adverse drug reactions if not properly managed. Deprescribing has emerged as a strategy to address these risks. Ensuring that pharmacy students are well-prepared for deprescribing requires a structured curriculum that provides both knowledge and practical training. Understanding students’ attitudes and perceptions regarding polypharmacy and deprescribing is essential for refining educational approaches and tailoring the curriculum effectively. This study, therefore, sought to explore the perspectives of graduating pharmacy students on polypharmacy and deprescribing in colleges and universities across northwest Ethiopia. This study employed a cross-sectional survey design targeting final-year pharmacy students from both public and private accredited institutions between May 15 and November 30, 2024. Participants were invited to complete structured questionnaires, available in both online and paper formats. A total of 205 students provided data. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 24, with comparisons made using ANOVA, Post Hoc, and t-tests. Results with a p-value below 0.05 were considered statistically significant. A majority of students (58%) reported limited familiarity with the concept of deprescribing, whereas awareness of polypharmacy was relatively high (85.9%). Less than half could accurately define deprescribing (42.9%), and only 45.4% and 18.5% correctly recognized the minimum drug counts for general and psychotropic polypharmacy, respectively. Curriculum-based training on deprescribing was reported by just 17.1% of students, compared to 64.4% for polypharmacy. Nearly three-quarters felt their education in both deprescribing (74.2%) and polypharmacy (75.2%) was insufficient. Students from governmental institutions reported better preparation and confidence in deprescribing medications compared to those from private institutions (2.86 ± 0.12 vs. 1.15 ± 0.03, p 
UR  - https://smerpub.com/article/assessing-pharmacy-students-preparedness-and-perceptions-on-deprescribing-and-polypharmacy-in-north-p8roxuqtimlzzpc
ER  -