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Effect of QR-Code Medicine Information on Knowledge of Medicine Use among Adult Patients in Nigeria

Abstract

Appropriate use of medicines is an important component of effective healthcare and patient safety. Adult patients may experience difficulties understanding medicine names, indications, dosage instructions, timing, duration of treatment, possible side effects, contraindications, storage requirements, and precautions, particularly when medicine information is limited or presented in formats that are difficult to understand. Inadequate knowledge of medicine use may contribute to incorrect dosing, missed doses, inappropriate self-medication, medication errors, treatment failure, and avoidable adverse effects. QR-code medicine information provides a digital approach through which patients can scan a code using a smartphone to access medicine-related information in a convenient and potentially interactive format. This approach may improve access to understandable information about prescribed or dispensed medicines and reinforce counselling provided by healthcare professionals. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of QR-code medicine information on knowledge of medicine use among adult patients in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Technology Acceptance Model, Health Belief Model, and Health Literacy Framework. The Technology Acceptance Model explains how perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, accessibility, and trust in QR-code medicine information may influence patients' willingness to use the technology. The Health Belief Model explains how perceived benefits, perceived barriers, perceived severity of medication-related problems, and cues to action may influence patients' engagement with medicine information and appropriate medicine-use behaviours. The Health Literacy Framework emphasizes patients' ability to access, understand, evaluate, and appropriately apply medicine-related information to support safe healthcare decisions. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how QR-code medicine information may influence knowledge of medicine use among adult patients in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise adults aged 18 years and above attending selected public and private hospitals, primary healthcare centres, and outpatient clinics across Nigeria who have been prescribed or dispensed medicines. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, local government areas, healthcare facilities, departments, and eligible patients. QR-code medicine information will be assessed using indicators such as availability of QR codes on medicine packages, prescriptions, labels, or information materials; frequency of scanning; accessibility of digital information; ease of use; language and readability of information; completeness of medicine information; and frequency of reviewing the information. Knowledge of medicine use will be assessed using indicators such as knowledge of medicine name, purpose, dosage, frequency, timing, duration, route of administration, possible side effects, precautions, contraindications, medicine interactions, storage requirements, missed-dose instructions, and appropriate actions when adverse reactions occur. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, standardized medicine-knowledge assessment tools, QR-code usage records where available and appropriately consented, prescription records, medication information materials, and relevant healthcare facility records. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' characteristics, medicine-use patterns, exposure to QR-code information, and medicine knowledge scores. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of QR-code medicine information on knowledge of medicine use. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, medicine-knowledge scores before and after exposure to QR-code medicine information may be compared with those of a comparison group to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that QR-code medicine information has a significant positive effect on knowledge of medicine use among adult patients in Nigeria. Patients who receive access to QR-code-based medicine information are expected to demonstrate better knowledge of their medicines than patients without comparable access to the digital information. The ability to access medicine information repeatedly through a smartphone may reinforce information provided during clinical consultations and medicine dispensing. QR-code information may help patients review dosage instructions, treatment duration, possible side effects, precautions, storage requirements, and other relevant information at their convenience. It may also provide an opportunity for patients to access information in simplified language or other accessible formats. However, limited smartphone ownership, poor internet connectivity, low digital literacy, language barriers, privacy concerns, inadequate availability of QR-coded medicine information, and dependence on inaccurate or poorly designed digital content may reduce effectiveness. QR-code medicine information should therefore complement, rather than replace, direct counselling and professional guidance from healthcare providers and pharmacists. The study expects appropriately designed, accurate, accessible, and professionally reviewed QR-code medicine information to contribute significantly to improved knowledge of medicine use among adult patients in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on digital medicine information, medication education, health literacy, patient safety, digital health, pharmaceutical care, medicine use, health communication, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, pharmacists, hospitals, primary healthcare centres, pharmaceutical manufacturers, healthcare professionals, digital health developers, technology providers, development partners, and policymakers regarding the potential use of QR-code technology to improve patient access to medicine information. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for developing standardized QR-code medicine information systems, ensuring accuracy and professional review of digital medicine content, improving accessibility and readability, incorporating QR-code information into appropriate medication counselling services, strengthening patient digital health literacy, and ensuring that digital medicine information complements professional pharmaceutical and clinical guidance across Nigeria.

Keywords: QR-code medicine information, medicine-use knowledge, medication education, digital health, health literacy, patient safety, pharmaceutical care, medicine information, adult patients, Nigeria, public health.