Tarek Seifaw Kashour1, Abdulaziz Joury2, Abdullah M Alotaibi3, Mahmoud Althagafi2, Aws S Almufleh2, Ahmad Hersi2, Lukman Thalib4. 1. Department of Cardiac Sciences, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 7805, Riyadh, 11472, Saudi Arabia. tkashour@gmail.com. 2. Department of Cardiac Sciences, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 7805, Riyadh, 11472, Saudi Arabia. 3. Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 4. Department of Health Sciences, CAS, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Self-medication is common worldwide. However, the prevalence of sale of prescription medications without prescription and the quality of assessment and counselling provided by community pharmacists to cardiac patients is unknown. We sought to determine the prevalence of prescription medication sales and explore how pharmacists assess and counsel patients with acute cardiac conditions. METHODS: Six hundred community pharmacies in the two largest cities in Saudi Arabia were selected. Two simulated clients presented either an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) scenario or an acute heart failure (AHF) scenario to the pharmacists. Descriptive statistics and regression models were used to analyse and present the collected data. RESULTS: Of 600 pharmacies, 379 (63.2%) sold various prescription medications to simulated patients without prescription. Assessment and counselling provided by pharmacists were inadequate. Almost a quarter of pharmacists did not ask simulated patients any questions; 52% asked one or two questions; and only 24% asked three or more questions. Only 28 pharmacists (4.7%) inquired about drug allergies; 48.5% instructed simulated patients on the dosage and frequency of the sold medications; 21.6% provided instruction on treatment duration; and 19.4% gave instructions on dose, frequency, and duration of treatment. Compared to AHF, ACS simulated patients were more likely to be asked about other symptoms and comorbidities (59.7% vs. 48.7%, p = 0.007 and 46.3% vs. 37.3%, p = 0.005, respectively) and were more likely to be advised to go to hospital (70.3% vs. 56.3%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The sale of prescription medications by community pharmacists to simulated cardiac patients without prescription is very common; assessment and counselling qualities are suboptimal.
PURPOSE: Self-medication is common worldwide. However, the prevalence of sale of prescription medications without prescription and the quality of assessment and counselling provided by community pharmacists to cardiac patients is unknown. We sought to determine the prevalence of prescription medication sales and explore how pharmacists assess and counsel patients with acute cardiac conditions. METHODS: Six hundred community pharmacies in the two largest cities in Saudi Arabia were selected. Two simulated clients presented either an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) scenario or an acute heart failure (AHF) scenario to the pharmacists. Descriptive statistics and regression models were used to analyse and present the collected data. RESULTS: Of 600 pharmacies, 379 (63.2%) sold various prescription medications to simulated patients without prescription. Assessment and counselling provided by pharmacists were inadequate. Almost a quarter of pharmacists did not ask simulated patients any questions; 52% asked one or two questions; and only 24% asked three or more questions. Only 28 pharmacists (4.7%) inquired about drug allergies; 48.5% instructed simulated patients on the dosage and frequency of the sold medications; 21.6% provided instruction on treatment duration; and 19.4% gave instructions on dose, frequency, and duration of treatment. Compared to AHF, ACS simulated patients were more likely to be asked about other symptoms and comorbidities (59.7% vs. 48.7%, p = 0.007 and 46.3% vs. 37.3%, p = 0.005, respectively) and were more likely to be advised to go to hospital (70.3% vs. 56.3%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The sale of prescription medications by community pharmacists to simulated cardiac patients without prescription is very common; assessment and counselling qualities are suboptimal.
Authors: Sayer I Al-Azzam; Belal A Al-Husein; Firas Alzoubi; Majed M Masadeh; Mohammad Ali S Al-Horani Journal: Int J Occup Med Environ Health Date: 2007 Impact factor: 1.843
Authors: Carl R Schneider; Alan W Everett; Elizabeth Geelhoed; Peter A Kendall; Rhonda M Clifford Journal: Ann Pharmacother Date: 2009-08-18 Impact factor: 3.154
Authors: Ana Paula Martins; Ana da Costa Miranda; Zilda Mendes; Maria Augusta Soares; Patrícia Ferreira; Ana Nogueira Journal: Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf Date: 2002 Jul-Aug Impact factor: 2.890
Authors: Aref A Bin Abdulhak; Mohamad A Altannir; Mohammed A Almansor; Mohammed S Almohaya; Atallah S Onazi; Mohammed A Marei; Oweida F Aldossary; Sadek A Obeidat; Mustafa A Obeidat; Muhammad S Riaz; Imad M Tleyjeh Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2011-07-07 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Abdelrahman G Tawfik; Abdullah I Abdelaziz; Mohamad Omran; Khaled A Rabie; Al-Shaimaa F Ahmed; Adel Abou-Ali Journal: Int J Clin Pharm Date: 2020-11-24
Authors: Bernhard Langer; Sophia Grimm; Gwenda Lungfiel; Franca Mandlmeier; Vanessa Wenig Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-09-15 Impact factor: 3.390