BMC Health Services Research is calling for submissions to our Collection on Patients' knowledge of the indications for their medications.

Understanding the indications for prescribed medications is crucial for patient safety and effective healthcare delivery. Many patients lack adequate knowledge about their medications, which can lead to non-adherence, adverse drug reactions, and suboptimal health outcomes. This Collection invites research that examines the extent of patients' medication knowledge, the factors influencing their understanding, and the implications for healthcare practice. By exploring these aspects, we aim to illuminate the gaps in medication literacy and the importance of patient engagement in their treatment regimens.

Enhancing patients' knowledge of their medications is vital for fostering informed decision-making and promoting adherence to treatment plans. Recent advances in medication counseling, patient education programs, and digital health technologies have shown promise in improving medication awareness. These interventions not only empower patients but also support healthcare providers in delivering personalized care. By fostering a culture of medication literacy, healthcare systems can enhance patient outcomes and reduce the burden of medication-related issues.

Topics for submission:

Assessing medication literacy in diverse populations

Barriers and facilitators to understanding medication indications

Impact of patient education and other related interventions on medication adherence

Tools, interventions and strategies for enhancing patient medication knowledge

Understand how, why for whom and under what circumstances interventions to enhance medication knowledge work or not

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.

Global health workforce shortages are exacerbated by within-country maldistribution of health workers, preventing people from accessing quality healthcare in a timely manner. These disparities are especially acute in low- and middle-income countries whose fragile health systems are transitioning towards universal health coverage.

This article collection aims to shed light on this topic – specifically focusing on within-country health workforce maldistribution and public and private sector efforts to address this issue. Quantitative and qualitative articles measuring national and subnational geographic, socio-cultural, and other inequities of health workforce training, education, and distribution; policy analyses, process evaluation, and impact evaluation of health workforce deployment and retention programs; as well as case studies and intervention studies of best practices to address health workforce maldistributions are welcome. Reviews on this topic are also welcome.

Studies should be conducted in a low- and middle-income country/countries, and authors from low- and middle-income countries are especially encouraged to submit.

Topics of collection:

• Health workforce training and education
• Health workforce distribution
• Health workforce deployment and retention programs
• Health workforce policy reform

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.