Worldwide studies on the safety of medicines for pregnant women show that most women know which medicines to avoid during pregnancy. However, a large number of women are not aware that the use of medication during pregnancy can lead to adverse events. This type of studies has not been conducted in Latvia yet. The aim of this work is to find out the level of awareness among pregnant women in Latvia about the safety of the use of different medications during pregnancy, in order to clarify the ways of improving it. Quantitative and qualitative research methods have been used in this study. Between September 2018 and December 2019, 606 women were surveyed. Expert interviews led to conclusions on improving the education of pregnant women and pharmacy assistants. About 75% of women have been taking medicines during pregnancy. Usually it was 2-3 medicinal products. Approximately 10% used 4 or more medicines. Most women surveyed are not aware that the use of medications during the second and third trimesters can have a negative effect on the mother or baby. Most women (78%) wouldn’t use medications without a doctor's advice, but 17% would if they consulted a pharmacist. Obtained results on the awareness of pregnant women showed that it is important to improve their knowledge of the safety of medicines. This can be achieved by improving the education program for pharmacy assistant pharmacists. A focus group discussion has been organised on this matter.

Over fifteen years, polypharmacy has increased by 4.9% across all age groups. Consequently, the responsibility of professionals for advising patients in such cases has increased as well. The research aims at studying patients' habits when purchasing and using medicinal products to enhance the theoretical and practical training of assistant pharmacists at the RSU Red Cross Medical College. The research is based on the patient questionnaires and further analysis of results within a focus group. 404 respondents were interviewed between December 2017 and November 2019. Under the conventions of social studies, this ensured a 3% margin of error at a confidence level of 5%. According to the results of the questionnaire, 44% of the surveyed women and 66% of men were rarely or very rarely interested in the possible side effects of a new medicinal products, food supplement or herbal product. Patients could obtain such information by reading the package leaflet, however, 24% of women and 40% of men read it very rarely or rarely. 30% of respondents used four or more prescription and over-the-counter medical substances on a daily basis. The information-gaining habits of the population regarding side effects and interactions of medicinal products, food supplements and herbal remedies suggest patients must receive oral and more detailed information from a pharmacist. Based on the obtained results, the focus group outlined opportunities for raising pharmacy students' competences.