Aim: The present study measured the medication knowledge and medication adherence in patients with type 2 diabetes in Brunei Darussalam. Demographic details and diabetes knowledge were also evaluated. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted via the administration of a structured questionnaire consisting of 4 sections via a face-to-face interview. Results: A total of 118 participants were interviewed. A majority of the participants were aged 40 years or above (106, 89.8%). The mean number of total medications that the participants were taking was 7.36 ± 2.87 and the mean number of antidiabetic medications was 2.39 ± 1.06. As for the antidiabetic therapy, the largest proportion of the participants were taking oral antidiabetic medications only (87, 73.73%). In the diabetes knowledge section of the questionnaire, more than half of the participants (63, 53.34%) scored higher than the acquired mean score. Family history, education level, and total medications taken were significantly correlated with diabetes knowledge. However, in the medication knowledge section of the questionnaire, the mean score (3.37 ± 1.38) was below the intended score for good knowledge. Medication knowledge has been significantly associated with gender, family history and total medications taken. A majority of the participants reported non-adherence (74, 62.71%) due to various reasons. In this study, those of the Malay race were significantly correlated with adherence to their medication regimen. This study also revealed that there is no significant relationship between diabetes knowledge, medication knowledge and medication adherence. Conclusions: The present study provides insights in regard to patients with type 2 diabetes in Brunei Darussalam and their knowledge towards the disease as well as their medications. Despite the lack of significance between the variables, the rate of non-adherence is still alarming. Further studies are required to better understand the barriers to non-adherence in these patients.

Medication wasting has been adding to the cost burden on the healthcare system. Sustainable interventions such as using patients’ own medications have been implemented to upgrade the medicine management system. This review aimed to describe the studies related to patients’ own medication in hospital settings to explore its positive impacts. Current literature has studied the impact of using patients’ own medicines from cost-effectiveness, clinical, and patient safety perspectives. The economic impact was represented by determining the cost saved after implementing the patient’s own medications intervention. On the other hand, the efficacy of patient care was proven by reducing the frequency of medication error and prevalence of drug-drug interactions as the intervention was implemented. Patients’ knowledge of their medications was also proven to be improved with their own medicines during hospitalization, improving their adherence to their medication treatment. Improving patients' adherence to and knowledge of their prescriptions during hospitalization may also aid in the reduction of hospital readmissions, which could result in a net economic return.

Introduction Diabetes is becoming an increasingly common condition across the world including Brunei Darussalam. Bruneian population, although is relatively small, represents a miniature urban community of neighbouring Southeast Asian countries as they share similar dietary and ethnicity patterns. Thus, it would be valuable to examine the findings of studies conducted among Bruneians. This study aimed to identify and review research related to the practice of patients with DM in Brunei Darussalam in order to identify associated factors influencing diabetic medication knowledge and adherence. Methods This narrative review analyzed literature related to DM and its therapy in Brunei Darussalam. Other issues consisting of knowledge and adherence related to DM were also explored. Databases (Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar) were used to search literature published up to May 2022. Search terms “diabetes mellitus”, “Brunei” combined using Boolean operator were used. Results and Discussion Conducting appropriate studies in Brunei Darussalam can benefit the government and policymakers to implement effective measures and programmes to combat the diabetes epidemic. Despite the government’s efforts, additional relevant stakeholders must be included in order to work together and engage in these initiatives in order to increase diabetes awareness, give people the power to make healthy decisions, and ultimately reduce the prevalence of diabetes in Brunei Darussalam. Patients’ medication knowledge proficiency plays a main component of ensuring appropriate and safe use of medication prescribed to them. Conclusion Relatively poor medication knowledge and inappropriate diabetes-related practices were observed in studies conducted in Brunei Darussalam. However, no study has been done which directly measures both medication awareness and compliance among Brunei Darussalam T2DM patients. Future studies can focus on the relation between these two factors in different geographical locations of the world that are characterized by different diabetes-related practices and culture.

Background: Medication wastage is causing a cost burden to the healthcare system that is worth millions of dollars. An economic and ecological friendly intervention such as using a patient’s own medications (POM) has proven to reduce wastage and save the cost spent by the hospital. The potential benefits of using POM in inpatient settings have yet to be explored in a country with universal health coverage. This study aimed to pilot test the POM intervention in an adult ward setting and to perform the economic analysis of using POM and ward stock during hospitalization. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional observational study was conducted among the patients admitted to the medical and surgical wards in a public hospital located in Brunei Darussalam between February 2022 and April 2022. Hospitalized adults above 18 years old with regular medications with a minimum length of stay of 48 h and a maximum length of stay of 21 days were included in the study. These eligible patients were divided into a POM group and a non-POM group. The economic analysis of using POM was performed by calculating the direct cost per unit of medication used during admission (from unit-use, ward stock and POM) and comparing the cost spent for both groups. Expired ward stock deemed as medication wastage was determined. Medical research ethics were approved, and all participating patients had given their written informed consent before enrolling in this study. Results: A total of 112 patients aged 63.2 ± 15.8 years participated in this study. The average cost of medication supplied by the inpatient pharmacy for the non-POM group was USD 21.60 ± 34.20 per patient, whereas, for the POM group, it was approximately USD 13.00 ± 18.30 per patient, with a mean difference of USD 8.60 ± 5.17 per patient (95% CI: −3.95, 27.47, p ≥ 0.05). The use of POM minimized 54.03% (USD 625.04) of the total cost spent by the hospital for the POM group within the period of the study. Conclusion: The pilot study showed that the supplied medication cost per patient was not significantly different between the POM and non-POM groups. Nevertheless, the utilization of POM during hospitalization is capable of reducing at least 50% of the total cost spent on inpatient medications by the hospital. The use of POM during hospitalization also helped in reducing the total time spent on the medication process per patient.