Background: Rational use of medicines (RUM) requires that individuals get the correct medication, in the accurate dose, for an
adequate period and at the lowest cost. Irrational drug use has a negative impact both on health and the economy. Hence, this
study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice for the rational use of medicine among university students in a public
university in Malaysia. Methods: The cross-sectional descriptive study was piloted using a validated self-administered questionnaire
to collect the needed data from students. All data were checked for completeness and accuracy and then coded for analysis.
Descriptive statistics were used to present the data on demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and practice towards
RUM. The influence of demographic characteristics on knowledge and attitude was tested using Fishers exact tests or Chi-square,
Mann-Whitney test and Kruskal-Wallis test wherever appropriate considering a p value <0.05 as statistically significant. Results:
Overall, 418 questionnaires were distributed to university students. The results of the study revealed that 54.9% of the students had
a moderate; 38.2% had poor and only 6.9% had a good level of knowledge towards RUM. A high percentage (64.4%) knew that all
medicines have side effects; however, (66.4%) thought that multivitamins are safe without any side effect. Half of the respondents
could not differentiate a medicine by either its generic or brand name. Most of the respondents (77.9%) incorrectly stop taking
medicines when they feel better. Respondents (67.9%) purchased medications only upon physicians' prescriptions. Conclusion: The
outcomes revealed gaps in terms of knowledge, attitude and practice regarding the RUM among students. Educational strategies
should target these gaps aiming at increasing awareness on RUM. Training on the proper use of medicines and reducing the
practice of self-medication should be a part of the curriculum to enable informed decision-making at the individual, family, and
community levels.
Keywords: Rational use of medicines; RUM, knowledge; attitude; practice; students; Malaysia