Preparatory Year Students' Perception of Pharmacy Profession as a Career Choice: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract The study attempted to assess preparatory year students' perception towards pharmacists and the pharmacy profession. This cross-sectional survey was conducted between December 2019 and March 2020. The students were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire via Google Forms®. In total, 244 students, of which 53.7% were female with the mean age of 19.2 ± 0.65, from 12 universities participated in this study. As per our findings, the majority of the respondents (91.8%) regard pharmacy as a well-respected profession, 82.4% thought pharmacists are important decision-makers, 68.4% disagreed that most pharmacists were unkind, and 60.7% did not agree that pharmacy was a low-status occupation. Meanwhile, 95.5% agreed that pharmacists must have a university degree, 88.6% agreed pharmacists must take responsibility for patients, and 82.8% believed pharmacists had to work too hard. Moreover, 62.3% did not think pharmacy was a low-skill occupation, 54.9% did not agree pharmacists must do unpleasant things, and 45.1% disagreed pharmacists only did what physicians requested of them. Lastly, 48.8% had low confidence in choosing pharmacy as a career. The students' overall perception toward pharmacists and the pharmacy profession was favorable. However, only one-fourth of the students displayed a tendency to choose pharmacy as a future career.

Common causes of child mortality in Atbara teaching hospital, Sudan

Providing data about the common causes of child death is essential to the development of national and local health policies for prevention and control of disease. To determine the common causes of child mortality in Atbara Teaching Hospital, Sudan. In this retrospective study the records of children 0-15 years of age who died at Atbara Teaching Hospital within a 5 year period [Jan 2005 - Dec 2009] were reviewed for demographic data as well as the cause of death. From a total of 14765 admissions to the pediatric ward in the five year period the total death was 344 [2.3%]. Males were 215 [62.5%] and females 129 [37.5%]. The under five were the majority [92.2%]. Neonates constituted 25.8% of the total, older infants 42.9% and more than one year to five years 23.5%. The commonest causes of death were respiratory tract infections [18.2%] followed by malnutrition [16.6%], blood infections [15.4%], gastroenteritis and dehydration [15.4%], malaria [5.9%], scorpion sting [5.9%], heart failure [4.3%], meningitis [3.4%] and anemia [2.5%]. At the bottom of the list were: tuberculosis [0.6%] and tetanus [0.3%]. Causes of child mortality in Atbara are similar to those reported from other developing countries. Children under-five years of age are at the greatest risk of death from preventable and treatable diseases

Pharmacists' understanding and attitudes towards pharmaceutical care in Saudi Arabia

The questionnaire was designed to determine both institutional [hospitals and healthcare centers] and community pharmacists' underst and ing, attitudes and barriers that limit provision of pharmaceutical care. Five hundred fifty institutional pharmacists and 250 community pharmacists were included in the survey. Data were collected via face-to-face encounter using piloted questionnaire. The total response numbered 375, which constitute a 71.6% response rate from community pharmacists and 35.6% from institutional pharmacists. More than 70% of the pharmacists surveyed had also favorable underst and ing of pharmaceutical care. The respondents showed positive attitudes towards pharmaceutical care. Approximately more than 89% of respondents felt the future of pharmacy would depend on the provision of professional services other than dispensing. The main barriers perceived by the pharmacist were lack of adequate training in pharmaceutical care practice, lack of work place for counseling, lack of staff, insufficient time, lack of patient dem and, lack of therapeutic knowledge, lack of support from owners. There were significant differences in responses to a number of issues recognized by male and females, age, years in practice and work setting. Pharmacists expressed general positive awareness and attitudes toward pharmaceutical care irrespective of practice settings. Several demographic factors including gender, years in experience and work setting were associated with awareness and attitudes toward pharmaceutical care. Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia indicated willingness but expressed major concern about their clinical knowledge, communication skills and pharmacy layout. This however makes implementation of pharmaceutical care logical. A joint collaboration between health authorities, colleges of pharmacy and medicine, pharmaceutical and medical societies is highly dem and ed for the promotion of pharmaceutical care in the country. Finally, training programs in pharmaceutical care practice should be available to the pharmacists

Clinico - epidemiological pattern and survival in colorectal cancer: an inter institutional comparative study

Seventy-four patients with colorectal cancer were treated at King Abdul-Aziz Hospital and Oncology Center [KAAH], Jeddah, as well as 105 patients were treated at National Cancer Institute [NCI], Cairo. Surgery in the form of hemicolectomy or anterior resection was performed for patients with colon cancer and abdominoperineal resection [AP] or low anterior resection [LAR] for rectal cancer. Adjuvant 5-FU based chemotherapy was used for one year in addition to postoperative radiotherapy to patients at high risk of recurrence. The patients were followed up for a median of 27 and 29 months for KAAH and NCI patients, respectively. It was apparent that colorectal cancer occurred at a younger age among Egyptian population. There was a survival advantage for NCI patients, particularly females with early stage cancer rectum and particularly who have undergone low anterior resection. This subset of patients at KAAH had an exceptionally older age compared with their correspondings at NCI, a factor, which might compromise the choice of surgery for those patients. It was recommended that surgery should be optimized irrespective of age, gender or stage of the disease with a better utilization of the different diagnostic modalities as well as adjuvant therapies to achieve the highest control and survival for this disease