scholarly journals Recognition of tramadol abuse, dispensing practices, and opinions about its control policy among community pharmacists in Bangkok, Thailand

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-99
Author(s):  
Tulaya Potaros ◽  
Suwimon Yeephu
Keyword(s):  
Drug Administration ◽  
Food And Drug Administration ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Control Policy ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Dispensing Practices ◽  
Different Parts

AbstractBackgroundTramadol is classified as a pharmacist-only (restricted) medicine by the Food and Drug Administration of Thailand (Thai FDA). Because of concern about its abuse, in September 2013 the Thai FDA announced a policy to control the distribution of tramadol in community pharmacies.ObjectivesTo identify tramadol dispensing practices by community pharmacists in Bangkok, their recognition of tramadol abuse and the Thai FDA control policy announcement; and opinions about the tramadol control policy.MethodsThis descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in community pharmacies located in Bangkok. Pharmacists on duty were interviewed from September 2015 to April 2016.ResultsData from 305 pharmacists working in 305 pharmacies revealed that tramadol, both single (tramadol alone) and combination (tramadol plus acetaminophen) formulations, was available in 185 pharmacies (60.7%). Most pharmacists dispensed tramadol to supply regular medicine along with previous prescriptions (74%). Among 305 pharmacists, 304 (99.7%) recognized tramadol abuse in combination with cold–cough remedies and carbonated beverages can create euphoria. Most (97.7%) knew about the announcement of the tramadol control policy, and most (82.6%) thought that the policy was practical. Approximately 43% of pharmacists agreed that the policy was effective in reducing the tramadol abuse problem, whereas 36.7% disagreed. Moreover, 60.3% disagreed with rescheduling tramadol as a prescription-only medicine. In their opinion, tramadol should still be available in pharmacies, to be dispensed by community pharmacists to patients with medical necessity.ConclusionsFurther studies nationwide in Thailand are likely to be useful to represent and compare information in different parts of the country.

scholarly journals Community Pharmacists’ Practice, Awareness, and Beliefs about Drug Disposal in Saudi Arabia

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 823
Author(s):  
Sultan Alghadeer ◽  
Mohammed N. Al-Arifi
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Take Back ◽  
Medication Disposal

The awareness among Saudi people regarding the good and safe practice of drug disposal is fairly low. Community pharmacists’ potential toward drugs disposal directions and practice are not emphasized enough. Therefore, a cross sectional study was conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to evaluate the practice, awareness and beliefs of community pharmacists about disposal of unused drugs. Out of 360 subjects who participated in the study, more than 70% returned the unused drugs to the pharmaceutical distributors. Around 80% of the participants confirmed the risk of environmental damage due to the inappropriate disposal of drugs, and 87.5% of them held themselves responsible for preventing such risk. Approximately 85% of surveyed pharmacists believed community pharmacies to be an appropriate location for the collection of unused drugs. There was no significant association between the community pharmacists’ age group and years of practice as community pharmacists with either the awareness of unused medication disposal on environmental hazards, or the beliefs about the appropriate location for collecting unused drugs (p > 0.05). The awareness and proactive accountable responsibility, along with community pharmacists’ belief of appointing pharmacies to collect unused drugs, strongly support the institution of drug take-back programs.

scholarly journals Do drug package inserts meet the rules and regulations of Iran’s Food and Drug Administration in terms of informing patients?

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-222
Author(s):  
Tahereh Eteraf-Oskouei ◽  
Saeid Abdollahpour ◽  
Moslem Najafi ◽  
Vahideh Zarea Gavgani
Keyword(s):  
Drug Administration ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Food And Drug Administration ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Microsoft Excel ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Reference Category ◽  
Package Inserts ◽  
Source Of Information

Background: Drug package inserts (PIs) are the most accessible source of information for users and are designed to aid the safe use of medicines and avert adverse events. This study measured the conformity of PIs with the health communications standards of Iran’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study evaluated 92 PIs related to 22 best-selling neurological and psychiatric drugs in Iran based on criteria approved by Iran’s FDA. Six categories of criteria were considered in evaluating the extent of conformity: I) writing and formatting, II) references, III) drug description, IV) warnings and precautions, V) interactions, and VI) side effects. Each PI was scored based on observation of standards; data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel pivot tables. Results: In total, 2929 items from 92 PIs were evaluated, of which 37 (40.2%) were related to antidepressants, 31 (33.7%) to sedatives and hypnotics, and 24 (26%) to anticonvulsant drugs. The PI content was insufficient in various aspects of conformity with standards in each category. Among the six categories, the best match was found in warnings and precautions with 667 items (72.5%), followed by writing and formatting with 663 (69.1%). The lowest conformity was found in the reference category with 194 (26.4%) items. Conclusion: The PIs of Iranian neurological drugs do not fully meet Iran’s FDA standards. It is strongly recommended that smart PIs be developed using mobile apps to overcome this problem.

Highlights on the Labels of Packaged Foods Sold in Jordanian Market from A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 770-782
Author(s):  
Narmeen J. Al-Awwad ◽  
Hiba F. Al-Sayyed ◽  
Hamzah Safi ◽  
Salma M. Al-Bosta ◽  
Summer Al-Zawawi
Keyword(s):  
Drug Administration ◽  
Food And Drug Administration ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Food Labels ◽  
Trans Fat ◽  
Food Label ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Added Sugars ◽  
Packaged Foods

Jordan has adapted a strategy to prevent chronic diseases. Accordingly, Ministry of Health is looking for controlling food labeling particularly food fat, trans-fat, and caloric content. This study aimed to screen the food label of products that are sold in Jordanian market in terms of serving size, energy, macronutrient, fiber, total and added sugars, saturated and trans fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, and micronutrient contents. A cross-sectional study was performed to screen the food label for the food products based on the standards of The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations of 2016 and Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA). Generally, food labels were not clear. The screened products were compliant with JFDA standards and not in compliance with some FDA standards. In addition, many products were found to be sources of added sugars, Na, and saturated fats. Stakeholders and legislators are called to focus on developing new laws, regulations, and polices for developing food label. Food manufacturers are needed to work hardly on developing informative, clear, easy-to-understand, and attractive food labels. The legislators of food label policies are called to look for ways to indicate the presence of high amounts of dietary risk factors such as sugars, added sugars, Na, saturated, and trans fats in packaged foods.

scholarly journals Coping with the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study of community pharmacists from Serbia

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Jovičić-Bata ◽  
Nebojša Pavlović ◽  
Nataša Milošević ◽  
Neda Gavarić ◽  
Svetlana Goločorbin-Kon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
Job Related Stress

Abstract Background Rapid spread of COVID-19 forced the public to turn to community pharmacies as the most accessible points of primary healthcare, overloading pharmacy services. The objectives of this research were to detect and describe the changes in work environment of community pharmacists in Vojvodina during the state of emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic effects on job related stress were assessed. Methods Community pharmacists from Vojvodina completed an online questionnaire on work environment changes related to COVID-19 (cross-sectional study). Results Out of the 1574 licenced pharmacists in Vojvodina, 392 completed the survey. Workload increase, reported by 90.8% of pharmacists, was caused mostly by higher demand for safety equipment, antiseptics and disinfectants, dietary products and medicines. Most pharmacists (93.1%) considered pharmacy workflow to be more complex than before the pandemic. Clients’ behavior was described as less pleasant since the start of the pandemic by 67.6% of the community pharmacists. Many were concerned for their health and the health of their families (68.9%). Community pharmacists rated their stress levels higher if they i) were working in larger chains, ii) experienced clients’ behavior as less pleasant or/and iii) were concerned for their/their family health. Conclusions Current research pointed out the need for a more robust healthcare system which would allow rapid introduction of new activities and roles for community pharmacists that could possibly decrease job-related stress. Legal steps to improve the work environment in community pharmacies are necessary and urgent in order to fully utilize their skills and knowledge.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on Pharmaceutical Care Services and the Role of Community Pharmacists: A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study in Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 237796082110258
Author(s):  
Dawit Kumilachew Yimenu ◽  
Chilot Abiyu Demeke ◽  
Asmamaw Emagn Kasahun ◽  
Ebrahim Abdela Siraj ◽  
Adane Yehualaw Wendalem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Bahir Dar ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Chi Square Test

Objectives The current study aimed at assessing the impact of COVID-19 on pharmaceutical care services and the role of community pharmacists. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 1st to June 7, 2020, on community pharmacies in Bahir Dar and Gondar cities, Ethiopia. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were conducted. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered to declare statistical significance at a 95% Confidence interval (CI). Results A total of 101 community pharmacies were approached (one pharmacist per pharmacy), and 80 of them had completed the survey. From the total pharmacies, 78.8% of them had encountered a shortage of pharmaceutical products. Chi-square test revealed that there was a significant difference ( P = 0.036) in the shortage of personal protection equipment between Gondar and Bahir Dar cities. Face mask 55 (77.4%) followed by hand glove 15 (21.1%) were the most commonly reported personal protective equipment’s in short supply. Conclusion Strategies should be in place to improve the availability and affordability of various essential pharmaceuticals to mitigate the spread of the disease and prevent other complications.

scholarly journals Performances of community pharmacists and community pharmacies during COVID-19 outbreak: a cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Afsaneh Sadeghinejad ◽  
Naemeh Nikvarz
Keyword(s):  
Work Experience ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Home Delivery ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Services ◽  
Item Checklist ◽  
Delivery Services

Background: Community pharmacists can play an important role in the management of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) outbreak by providing pharmaceutical care and education services. In addition to providing drug-related services, community pharmacies must take measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission to customers and technicians in pharmacy. Therefore, a study was designed to assess community pharmacists performance and community pharmacies preparedness during COVID-19 outbreak. Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Kerman, Iran. A 20-item checklist consisting of nine items assessing the practice of pharmacists regarding use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and education of people about routes of transmission, prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19 and eleven items evaluating the adherence of pharmacies to principles of reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission in public places was used. Results: Of 95 enrolled pharmacists, 55 (57.9%) were female and 78.9% had work experience ≤ 10 years. More than 90% of pharmacists used appropriate PPE and provided information about medications for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and routs of its transmission to the pharmacy customers. Phone consultation was done by 71.6% of pharmacists. Concerning the preparedness of pharmacies, 92% of personnel used PPE, and hand sanitizers were available in 89.5% of pharmacies. However, a clear sheet was not placed at counters in the majority of pharmacies, and home delivery services were not provided by most pharmacies. Conclusions: The practice of most community pharmacists was acceptable. However, stricter measures should be taken to diminish the probability of COVID-19 transmission in community pharmacies.

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