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 Community Pharmacists’ Perceptions towards the Misuse and Abuse of Pregabalin: A Cross-Sectional Study from Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1281
Author(s):  
Sultan M. Alshahrani ◽  
Khalid Orayj ◽  
Ali M. Alqahtani ◽  
Mubarak A. Algahtany
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
First Line ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
First Line Therapy ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

Pregabalin is a first-line therapy for neuropathic pain and for chronic pain. It has abuse potential. This study was conducted to assess community pharmacists’ perceptions towards pregabalin abuse and misuse in the Aseer region, Saudi Arabia, and identify predictors and associated factors. A cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire following a self-administrative study was conducted across community pharmacies in the Aseer region (Abha, Khamis Mushait, Mahayel, Sarat Abeeda, Ahad-Rufaida, and Bishah). A total of 206 respondents from community pharmacists participated in the study. Over the last six months, 136 respondents (66.0%) suspected pregabalin abuse in community pharmacies; male dominance in pregabalin abusers was also recorded (n = 165, 80.1%). Additionally, 40 (19.4%) respondents stated that a prescription was not issued for pregabalin demands. Over half (61.7%) of community pharmacists recorded an increased change in pregabalin abuse compared to the previous year. This is the first study to explore pharmacists’ perceptions in the community of the Aseer region towards customers’ misuse and abuse of pregabalin. Further monitoring and regulations on the prescribing and procurement of pregabalin are needed to avoid abuse.

Self-Medication Practices with Antibiotics and Antimalarials Among Sudanese Undergraduate University Students

2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 1249-1255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelmoneim I Awad ◽  
Idris B Eltayeb
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Private University ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Undergraduate University Students ◽  
Study Population

Background: In many developing countries, up to 60–80% of health problems are self-medicated. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics and/or antimalarials and identify factors promoting such use among university students in Sudan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed, using a pretested questionnaire on a sample of 1300 students selected from 5 universities in Khartoum State, Sudan. Results: Eight hundred ninety-one (79.5%; 95% CI 77.0 to 81.8) students from the study population had used antibiotics or antimalarials without a prescription within 1–2 months prior to the study. Four hundred ninety (55%; 95% CI 51.7 to 58.3) of the respondents stated that they had used antibiotics, 39 (4.4%; 95% CI 3.2 to 6.0) had used antimalarials, and 362 (40.6%; 95% CI 37.4 to 43.9) had used both. Overall, self-medication with antibiotics or antimalarials was significantly more common among students 21 years of age or older compared with those 20 years of age or younger (OR 1.55; 95% CI 1.15 to 2.09; p = 0.004) and among students attending private universities compared with those attending public universities (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.95; p = 0.028). Self-medication with antibiotics followed a simitar pattern, which was significantly more common among students 21 years of age or older (OR 1.36; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.81; p = 0.03) and private university respondents (OR 1.52; 95% CI 1.15 to 2.02; p = 0.003). Self-medication with antimalarials was found to be significantly less common among females (OR 0.76; 95% CI 0.59 to 0.97; p = 0.028) and higher among the 21 years or older age group (OR 1.84; 95% CI 1.42 to 2.40; p < 0.001), The most common reason indicated for self-medication was the respondents’ previous experiences with similar ailments. The main source of drugs was community pharmacies. Conclusions: The prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics/antimalarials among undergraduate university students in Khartoum State is high. Our findings highlight the need for planning interventions to promote the judicious use of antibiotics/antimicrobials.

scholarly journals Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards Diabetic Retinopathy among Primary Care Physicians of Saudi Arabia: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1697
Author(s):  
Ashokkumar Thirunavukkarasu ◽  
Abdulmohsen Khaled Almulhim ◽  
Faisal Ahmed Albalawi ◽  
Ziyad Muharib Alruwaili ◽  
Ola Ali Almajed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Diabetic Retinopathy ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Attitudes And Practices

Primary care physicians play a vital role in preventing the progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR) from the initial stages to the late stages. This questionnaire-based analytical cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitude, practices, and their correlation among 274 randomly selected primary care physicians in Saudi Arabia. Among the studied population, high knowledge, attitudes, and practice scores were observed in 21.5%, 15%, and 29.2% of the physicians, respectively. The mean knowledge score was significantly higher among the age group of less than 30 years (p = 0.031) and the female gender (p = 0.012). The attitude scores were significantly higher among the Saudi physicians (p = 0.027) and those with PHC work experience of less than five years (p < 0.001). Regarding the practices, a significant association was found among the age group of less than 30 years (p = 0.019) and Saudi physicians (p = 0.003). There was a significant positive correlation between knowledge (correlation coefficient (r) = 0.739, p < 0.001) and attitude (r = 0.479, p = 0.007) with the practice scores. It is recommended that targeted continuous medical education, workshops, and seminars are conducted on the prevention and care of DR among primary care physicians. Furthermore, an exploratory multicenter study that involves primary care physicians belonging to all ministries and private sectors is warranted.

scholarly journals Relationship between Visual Impairment and the Use of Electronic Devices in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 512-520
Author(s):  
Nawal Ali Mohd Arishi ◽  
Hoda Jehad Abousada ◽  
Ghada Badr Alghubaini ◽  
Manar Salah Ahmed ◽  
Rahaf Salah Ahmed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Electronic Devices ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Vision Impairment ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Study Participants

Background: Overuse of electronic gadgets has been highlighted as a possible preventable risk factor for eyesight loss. Excessive use of electronic gadgets, on the other hand, has been linked to vision impairment in a variety of ways. Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study to spotlight on the relationship between visual impairment and addiction to electronic devices use. The study's goal was to see if there was a link between Saudis' vision impairment and their addiction to using electronic devices, this is the suitable design for this research. The study was carried out among Saudi population. Data were collected from general population using questionnaire during the period from 22 August to 22 November 2020. Results: The study included the participation of 344 participants from both genders and different age groups in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There were 211 female participants (61.3%) and 133 males (38.7%) took place in this study. The most prevalent age group was under the age of 25 years (n= 111, 32.3%) followed by the age group 25-35 (n= 104, 30.2%) while the least frequent age group was above 45 years (n= 54, 15.7%). On asking the participants whether they think that they have vision impairment or not, their answers were as follows: yes (n= 156, 45.3%), no (n= 131, 38.1) and maybe (n= 57, 16.6%). Due to the use electronic devices, there were 107 participants complained of headache (31.1%). And this was significantly related to the number of hours spent by study participants using electronic devices (P= 0.002) as well as significant for female gender more than male gender (P= 0.03). Conclusion: The study showed statistically significant relationship between the number of hours spent on using electronic devices and visual impairment among study participants especially among female population more than male population. There is a need for awareness campaigns to increase health awareness among population to cut down the use of electronic devices.

scholarly journals Patient Experience and Satisfaction of Orthodontic Retention after Treatment in Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (09) ◽  
pp. 512-518
Author(s):  
Mohammad Aldosari ◽  
Waad Alrahmah ◽  
Fadila Al Hammad ◽  
Rahaf Alhmadi ◽  
Shahzeb Ansari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Orthodontic Treatment ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Treatment Result ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Age Changes ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Patient Questionnaires ◽  
Orthodontic Retention

Background: Orthodontics treatment aimed to make patient satisfied about treatment result starting from appearance to the function. Orthodontic retention is consider as important stage to stabilize the result of orthodontic treatment and avoid relapse that caused by normal age changes. Methods: A cross-sectional study performed through patient questionnaires. A total of 450 patients were included in the study. The questionnaire included 19 questions. The questionnaire consisted of question about socio-demographic status of the respondents such as age, gender, also included question about the type of retainer fixed or removable retainers that were used, duration of wearing retainer and Retention protocol. Result: In our study majority of the participants were females (87.3%), and 55.3% belonged to the 20-25 years age group. The fixed orthodontic related history showed 59.8% had undergone the treatment for 1 to 3 years and 31.6% of the participants reported that they had removed the fixed braces for more than five years. Among these participants, 89.5% (n=34) reported that the fascia (space) closed between the upper frontal teeth after Frenectomy, and 65.8% (n=25) agreed that spaced between the two upper front teeth still closed after removing the retainer. Conclusion: The study findings showed that the majority of the participants were aware of the frequency and duration of wearing retainers but didn't completely adhere to the instructions given by the orthodontists and/or dentists. The major reason for not using retainers was difficulty in speaking or uncomfortableness.

scholarly journals The Use of Topical Clobetasol among the Women in Hail Region, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study on Knowledge and Practice

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Mukhtar Ansari ◽  
Subish Palaian ◽  
Mohamed Izham Mohamed Ibrahim ◽  
Pathiyil Ravi Shankar
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Topical Steroid ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Face ◽  
Knowledge And Practice ◽  
Harmful Effects

Aims: The current study aimed to evaluate female consumers’ knowledge and practice about harmful effects of topical clobetasol applied on the face for cosmetic purposes.  Study Design: Cross-sectional study.  Place and Duration of Study: Randomly selected community pharmacies, well known cosmetic shops and shopping malls of Hail region, Saudi Arabia from March 2018 to June 2018. Methodology: We included 391 participants who only used ‘clobetasol’ as a topical steroid at the time of interview, responses were collected as per the study tool and analyzed using SPSS for Windows, Version 16.0. Chicago, SPSS Inc.. Results: Relatives (28.1%), friends (25.6%) and community pharmacists (15.6%) contributed significantly towards using topical clobetasol cream. In 86.2% of the cases, the pharmacists who dispensed clobetasol did not inform the consumer about the harmful effects. Purchasing the cream without prescription (P = 0.025) was significantly associated with age. In the study, 41.9 % of the females experienced adverse effects, with the commonest one being hair growth on face (23%) followed by dermatrophy (14.8%); with a significant association with frequency of use (p<0.001). Conclusion: There was haphazard use of topical clobetasol by females and they were unaware of the adverse effects. Over-the-counter availability of topical clobetasol, lack of knowledge about harmful effects, and lack of counseling on its safety profile by community pharmacists and other healthcare professionals are mainly responsible for its misuse and harmful consequences.

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.

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