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Introduction: This study is aimed to investigate the understanding of antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance and its correlate factors among final-year medical and pharmacy students at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study. The study instrument was developed by extensive literature search and was subjected to face validity and content validity to medical and pharmacy academics. A pilot study was conducted to ascertain the reliability coefficient. Data was entered to SPSS version 17 and descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. Results: A total of 123 questionnaires were included in the study. Out of 123 respondents, 58.5% (n = 72) were final-year medical students, while 41.5% (n = 51) were final-year pharmacy students. The majority of the respondents showed adequate knowledge regarding the course contents related to antibiotics (n = 116; 94.3%). Almost all the respondents correctly reported the difference between bactericidal and bacteriostatic antibiotics. Only 15.4% (n = 19) and 27.6% (n = 34) of students were able to recognize Streptococcus pyogenes as nonpencillin resistant bacterium and Enterococcus as vancomycin-resistant bacterium, respectively. Conclusions: The students showed good understanding regarding antibiotic resistance. In comparison to medical students, pharmacy students showed better understanding and more adequate knowledge, as the mean value for each domain was slightly higher for pharmacy students. Extensively improving the curriculum and educating healthcare professionals, especially physicians and pharmacists, right from the time of their educational training can inculcate a moral responsibility toward the judicious use of antibiotics, which can serve to eradicate antibiotic resistance.

Patient confidence and knowledge pertaining to generic medicines use have increased over the past four decades, especially in developed countries. Mass educational efforts, financial incentives, and greater communication among patients and health care professionals were seen as major drivers to the uptake of generic medicines among consumers.

Medication error reporting (MER) is an effective way used to identify the causes of Medication Errors (MEs) and to prevent repeating them in future. The underreporting of MEs is a challenge generally in all MER systems. The current research aimed to explore nurses’ knowledge on MER by determining their attitudes towards reporting and studying the implicated barriers and facilitators. A total of 23 nurses were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. The saturation point was attained after 21 interviews. All the interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Four major themes and 17 sub-themes were identified. Almost all the interviewees were aware about the existence of the MER system. They showed a positive attitude towards MER. The main barriers for MER were the impacts of time and workload, fear of investigation, impacts on the job, and negative reactions from the person in charge. The nurses were knowledgeable about MER but there was uncertainty towards reporting harmless MEs, thus indicating the need for an educational program to highlight the benefits of near-miss reporting. To improve participation strategies, a blameless reporting culture, reporting anonymously, and a simplified MER process should be considered.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes towards ZIKV and its prevention among residents of Selangor, Malaysia. Methods: A pre-tested, selfadministered, cross-sectional survey involving 400 participants was conducted from January to February 2016 in Selangor, a most populated state of Malaysia. Participants were selected using a purposive sampling approach. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests were applied to analyze the data. Results: Of 400 surveys included in the final analysis, 286 (71.5%) respondents showed good knowledge towards ZIKV. The mean knowledge score of the participants was 10.94 ± 3.89. A total of 298 (74.5%) respondents showed a positive attitude towards ZIKV and its prevention. The mean attitude score of the participants was 7.10 ± 2.80 (based on 10 questions). One-third of participants (n=132, 33%) did not consider the need of any protective measure if the male partner is suspected of having ZIKV. A large proportion of respondents (n=190, 47.5%) did not consider Malaysia at risk of ZIKV. Participants' main source of information about ZIKV was the internet. Conclusion: The findings of this study highlighted important gaps in the knowledge and attitudes of Selangor residents towards ZIKV and its prevention. There is a need for developing customized interventions to bridge these gaps as it is critical to prevent the spread of ZIKV in Malaysia.