Porcelain Publishing / HNP / Volume 2 / Issue 2 / DOI: 10.47297/ppihnp2026020204
ARTICLE

A Study on Home Medication Use and Pharmaceutical Service Needs of Patients with Chronic Diseases in Rural Community

Zishang Chen1 Xiaofan Zhao1 Wenying Liu1 Xiaoyang Cong1 Mingxin Zhang1 Xiudi Sun1 Huilin Rong1 Liwangcong Yang1 Weijia An1 Mingxin Du1 Na Zhao1*
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1 School of Health and Elderly Care, Shandong Women's University, Jinan 250300, China
Published: 28 July 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Abstract

Objective: Understand the current status of home medication use and pharmaceutical service needs among rural community patients with chronic diseases. Method: The study selected patients with chronic diseases from rural community as research subjects. Data on demographic characteristics, medication behavior patterns, acceptance of pharmaceutical services, medication literacy levels, and medication adherence were collected through questionnaires and analyzed statistically using SPSS 26.0. Result: A total of 136 patients were surveyed, with a total score of (73.09 ± 20.88) for drug literacy and (4.92 ± 2.45) for medication compliance, indicating poor compliance. There were statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) in drug literacy scores among patients with different levels of education, understanding of chronic disease health knowledge, checking the expiration date before medication, and reading drug instructions. Conclusion: There are significant risks associated with home-based medication use among chronic disease patients in rural community, with a moderate to low level of drug literacy and diverse demands for pharmaceutical services. It is recommended to collaborate and optimize service models from multiple levels including government, society, and families to enhance medication safety and compliance.

Keywords
Rural community
Chronic disease patients
Home medication
Pharmaceutical services
demand
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Healthcare and Nursing Practice, Electronic ISSN: 2978-4670 Print ISSN: 2978-4662, Published by Porcelain Publishing