Association of medication storage with diabetes control: A cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: In addition to diet restriction and physical activity, diabetes mellitus is managed by the chronic use of medications that require appropriate storage conditions to maintain their stability and effectiveness. However, there is a lack of information regarding patients’ knowledge of medication storage and practices in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the diabetics’ knowledge about medication storage requirements and to evaluate the impact of antidiabetic medications storage on the blood glucose levels. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional in the form of an interviewer-guided interview using a close-ended questions. The study was conducted among patients diagnosed with diabetes at diabetic clinics of public hospitals and other diabetic specialized clinics in Hail region of Saudi Arabia, over a period of four months between January to April 2019. RESULTS: A total of 501 completed questionnaires were returned. Of the respondents, 51.5% were males and 48.5% were females. Of the total participants 52.7% never achieved normal blood glucose range, which was associated with health literacy and medication storage knowledge. Almost half of the participants stored the medication correctly and others have poor knowledge and practice of medication storage, of whom 7.8% always store their medicines in their cars. CONCLUSION: Almost half of the participants lack the knowledge of appropriate storage conditions of diabetes medications, which was shown to have a significant association with blood glucose levels.