Search

Iron chelating therapy (ICT) drugs are prescribed to transfusion dependent thalassaemia (TDT) patients to prevent iron overload complications. The high number of TDT patients in Malaysia strained the public healthcare resources. This paper aims to provide an insight on existing supply chain management of ICT medicines in Malaysia and to explore ways for a more efficient system. A rapid review of literatures was conducted in electronic databases (PubMed, Emerald, Scopus and ScienceDirect) and other relevant Malaysian government documents. Supply of ICT to thalassaemia patients is publicly funded but much availability of oral ICT is restricted due to financial consideration. ICT in Malaysia is supplied through central procurement but purchasing and inventory management are decentralised to each hospital. Vendor-managed inventory system is an ideal option to the inventory management practice in Malaysian public healthcare facilities as it could provide better efficiency and reduces inventory management costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In understanding of the general public’s knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) on the returning and disposal of unused medications is imperative towards the designing of better educational materials and policy development. The objectives of this study was to validate the Malay version of the Return and Disposal of Unused Medications (ReDiUM) questionnaire for use among Malaysian as well as to gain an understanding on these patterns of behaviour among Malaysians. Methods: The English version of the ReDiUM was translated into Malay language according to international guidelines. Content and face validity of the questionnaire was examined by experts. Subsequently, the questionnaire was pilot tested in 10 native speakers. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. The test-retest reliability was measured with Spearman’s Correlation Coefficient and Cohen’s κ coefficient. Public were recruited through convenient sampling for the study. Results: The study recruited 319 respondents. For test-retest reliability, all the correlation coefficient values were >0.5 indicating strong reliability (26 respondents). Except few items, most of the kappa coefficients were >0.61 indicating substantial to almost perfect agreement. Cronbach’s alpha of the KAP domains were 0.585, 0.770 and 0.759, respectively. The median knowledge score was only 50% with some negative attitudes and practices found. Conclusions: The translated questionnaire was valid and reliable for use in Malaysia with acceptable to strong internal consistency and most items with substantial to almost perfect agreement. The findings from the study provide supporting evidence for policy makers to develop interventions to help with reducing wastage and optimize healthcare expenditure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]