Importance of social pharmacy education in Libyan pharmacy schools: perspectives from pharmacy practitioners / 보건의료교육평가

The present study aims to explore the perceptions among pharmacy practitioners in Libya on the importance of social pharmacy education. A qualitative methodology was employed to conduct this study. Using a purposive sampling technique, a total of ten Libyan registered pharmacists were interviewed. Based on the content analysis of the interviews, two major themes emerged, namely the understanding of social pharmacy education and the need for incorporating social pharmacy courses into the pharmacy education curriculum. The majority of the respondents knew about the concept. Of those that had no prior knowledge of this term, half of them expressed interest in knowing more about it. There was a positive perception of introducing social pharmacy into the undergraduate curricula among the respondents, and they believed that it is necessary for future pharmacists to know about social pharmacy components. The findings from the pharmacy practitioners' evaluation suggest the need to incorporate social pharmacy courses into the curricula of all pharmacy schools in Libya.

Trends of home drug storage and use in different regions across the northern United Arab Emirates

To investigate the habits of use and home storage of over-the-counter [OTC] and prescription drugs. A pretested questionnaire was distributed to university students who represented 300 household units in different regions of the northern United Arab Emirates. Household chairs [parents] answered questions on various aspects of home use and storage of OTC and prescription medicines. The number of drugs stored at home was collapsed into 5 unequal groups [1-3, 4-6, 7-10, 11-15 and 16-20]. The response rate was 300 [100%]. The average number of drugs per household unit was 6 items. Almost 40% of the participants stored between 16 and 20 drugs. More than half [56%] of the household units stored medicines in a home pharmacy kept either in the bedroom [n=66; 39%] or in the kitchen [n=71; 42%]. No correlation was found between the level of education and the number of family members [r=0.29] or drugs stored at home [r=-0.35]. Only 2 [0.7%] of the participants did not keep drugs at home. There was a clear discrepancy in either OTC or prescription drugs stored, and the variation in the utilization and preference of drugs was obvious among the pooled sample. Various problems related to the use and storage at home of OTC and prescription drugs were revealed. Discussing the results of this survey with students who participated as members of the household units that took part in the study may prove to be a helpful intervention. The need for public educational efforts on the rational use of medicines at home is urgent to foster awareness of the proper use of drugs

Analysis of written pharmaceutical advertisement in Dubai and Sharjah

To assess the accuracy and reliability of pharmaceutical drug advertisements. Two independent panels, each of two coders evaluated the advertisements to determine the presence or lack of information about the specific condition for which the drug was promoted and those about the drug itself [mean k reliability = 0.89]. Sixty six written pharmaceutical advertisements encompassing 71 drug brands were collected from pharmacies, clinics and hospitals in Dubai and Sharjah, Emirates. It included glossy coloured posters, brochures and leaflets which contained simple language and detailed pharmaceutical and medical information. Contents were therefore classified as direct-to-physician and direct-to-consumer information and verified using BNF and a textbook of pharmacotherapeutics. Most [97%] advertisements were in English with 98.5% mentioning condition for which targeted drug is used. Risk factors were mentioned in 13% and condition prevalence rate in 11% of advertisements. Mechanism of action was mentioned in 47%, incomplete information in 63%, clear misleading information in only 5%, success estimates of treatment in 50% and reliability was noted in only 3% of advertisements. It is concluded that Pharmaceutical advertisements should be subjected to more strict regulations before being published. Physicians should be cautious about the reliability of information in all drug advertisements and should follow principles of evidence-based medicine in assessing the validity of information on targeted drugs