Pharmacy practice in hospital settings in GCC countries: Pharmacists' medication therapy monitoring activities.

Purpose: Our study aims to provide an overview of medication therapy monitoring practices carried out by pharmacists in hospitals across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Methods: This is a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study of hospitals located in the GCC. Questions were adopted from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) national survey. Frequency analyses were used to examine the number and percentages of specific responses to the survey questions. Results: A total of 64 hospitals participated in this survey, reflecting an overall response rate of 52.0%. Almost half of participating hospitals (48.4%) were from Saudi Arabia. Among the 64 participating hospitals, 54.7% monitored their patients daily, 40.6% assigned pharmacists to patient care units for at least eight hours per day, and 42.2% held pharmacists accountable for medication-related outcomes. Moreover, the criteria used to identify patients requiring monitoring, 35.9% relied on the list of high-risk medications, 26.5% relied on specific medical services, 21.9% relied on directions from the hospital committee, and 17.2% relied on lab abnormalities. The most frequently utilized method for monitoring adverse drug events (ADEs) was through notifications from nurses or physicians, observed in 60.9% of participating hospitals. Conclusion: The survey emphasizes the need for hospitals in the GCC to promote increased pharmacist accountability for medication-related outcomes, explore technological solutions to enhance monitoring efficiency and extend the presence of pharmacists in patient care units beyond the current level.

Pharmacy practice in hospital settings in GCC countries: Dispensing and administration.

Purpose: To outline dispensing and administration practices in hospital pharmacy across the Gulf Cooperation Councils (GCC) countries' hospitals. Paucity of data in appraising hospital pharmacy practice in GCC regions motivated us to conduct this study. Methods: A modified survey questionnaire was prepared from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacist (ASHP) survey questions. Three major domains of questions for general characteristics of the medication use process for dispensing and administration were identified. These were, (1) medication distribution system, and medication distribution technology, (2) technology used to compound sterile preparations, compounding I.V. medication and method of compounding nutrition support preparations, (3) medication administration practices, medication orders, medication administration records (MARs), and technician activities. A list of hospitals was obtained from the Ministry of Health of the targeted GCC countries. A secure invitation link containing a survey questionnaire was sent to the participants directly. Results: Sixty-four hospitals responded to this survey. The overall response rate was 52%. Most surveyed hospitals have centralized inpatient medications distribution system (75.0%). About 37.5% of hospitals used automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) in their patient care areas. Compounding sterile preparations in the pharmacy, barcode verification technology, workflow management technology, and robotic technology were used by 17.2%, 15.6%, and 4.7% of hospitals, respectively. In using safety technology for medication administration, almost all hospitals have partially or completely implemented an electronic health record (EHR). About 40.6% of hospitals used electronic medication administration records (e-MARs), 20.3% used bar-code-assisted medication administration (BCMA), and 35.9% used smart infusion pumps. Conclusion: The results of this survey revealed an opportunity to improve the medication use management process on dispensing and administration practices in hospitals in GCC countries.

Pharmacy practice in hospital settings in GCC countries: Prescribing and transcribing.

PURPOSE: To outline hospital pharmacy practices across the Gulf Cooperation Councils (GCC) countries' hospitals. METHODS: A modified survey questionnaire was prepared from the original 2019 American Society of Health-System Pharmacist (ASHP) survey questions. Survey details were discussed with some pharmacy directors for clarity and relevance. A list of hospitals were obtained from the Ministry of Health of each of the targeted GCC countries. A secure invitation link containing a survey questionnaire was sent to the participants directly. RESULTS: Sixty four hospitals responded to this survey. The overall response rate was 52%. About 47% of the surveyed hospitals considered their drug formularies as closed, and strict. Additionally, only 44% of hospitals compare the effectiveness of products, when taking formulary decisions for drug inclusion. Forty-four percent of hospitals have computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE / EHR) system functionality for formulary system management. At about 39.1% hospitals, pharmacists have the responsibility for managing medication therapies, majority were engaged in providing anticoagulation therapies. About 61% of hospital pharmacies in GCC countries receive medication orders electronically, through CPOE/EHR. Majority (66%) of the hospitals in GCC countries have an active Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) while only 40% of pharmacists have a key role in providing clinical support. About 57.8% of hospital pharmacy directors reported that pharmacists do not provide ambulatory care clinical pharmacy services in their hospitals. CONCLUSION: In GCC countries' hospitals, there are major areas for improvement to patient care of which pharmacists are uniquely qualified as the medication experts to have the most meaningful outcomes in all of the domains of safe medication use, medication therapy management, antimicrobial stewardship program and participation in outpatient clinics.

Exploring Physicians' Views, Perceptions and Experiences about Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Prescribing in a Tertiary Care Hospital Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Approach.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health threat associated with increased mortality, morbidity and costs. Inappropriate antimicrobial prescribing, particularly of broad-spectrums antimicrobials (BSAs), is considered a major factor behind growing AMR. The aim of this study was to explore physician perception and views about BSAs and factors that impact upon their BSAs prescribing decisions. Qualitative semistructured telephone interviews over an eleven-week period were conducted with physicians in a single tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Purposeful and snowball sampling techniques were adopted as sampling strategy. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, uploaded to NVivo® software and analysed following thematic analysis approach. Four major themes emerged: views on BSAs, factors influencing BSA prescribing and antimicrobial stewardship: practices and barriers and recommendations to improve appropriate BSA prescribing. Recommendations for the future include improving clinical knowledge, feedback on prescribing, multidisciplinary team decision-making and local guideline implementation. Identification of views and determinants of BSA prescribing can guide the design of a multifaceted intervention to support physicians and policymakers to improve antimicrobial prescribing practices.

Evaluating the appropriateness of carbapenem and piperacillin-tazobactam prescribing in a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is presently considered an emergent major global public health concern and excessive and/or inappropriate use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials contribute to the development of AMR. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the appropriateness of carbapenems and piperacillin-tazobactam use in a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: A retrospective, observational, cross-sectional, drug-utilization study was conducted. The study included all adult hospitalized patients who had received at least one dose of the antimicrobials during their admission for the period between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2017. The appropriateness of antimicrobial therapy was evaluated according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines with the consideration of the institutional antibiogram. RESULTS: Overall, 2731 patients received 5005 courses with one of the antimicrobials, for a total of 5045.9 defined daily doses (DDD) of imipenem-cilastatin, 6492.3 of meropenem and 15,595 of piperacillin-tazobactam (4.93, 6.34 and 15.24 DDD/100 bed days, respectively). The mean age of the patients who received either antimicrobial was 55.5 ± 20.3 years, with a 14-day average length of hospital stay. About half (52%) of the prescriptions were written for patients treated in the medical ward. Pneumonia (26.6%) and sepsis (24.9%) were the most common indication for the initiation of antimicrobial therapy. Of the assessed prescriptions, only 2787 (56.5%) were prescribed appropriately, with 2142 (43.5%) deemed inappropriate. The three most common reasons for inappropriate prescription were: the spectrum of activity was too broad (44.6%), followed by antimicrobial use without culture request (32.4%), and failure of suitable antimicrobial de-escalation (19.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates that the overall rate of inappropriateness was high, emphasizing the need to develop initiatives to effectively improve broad-spectrum antimicrobial prescribing.

Parental attitude and knowledge towards asthma care measures for their children in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate asthma management in children reduces emergency department visits, hospitalization, and improves the quality of life. We aim to assess the level of children asthma control and its association with parental knowledge. METHODS: A prospective study conducted to measure childhood asthma control with a validated childhood asthma control test (C-ACT), and to assess asthma knowledge among the parents of children aged 4-11 years and their parents upon asthma clinic visits. C-ACT score ≤ 19 is considered as uncontrolled child asthma. RESULTS: We have invited 238 parents to participate in the study; 177 (74.4%) completed the survey. The mean age of the parents and their children were 38.8 ± 7.6 and 7.8 ± 2.7 years, respectively; 28.2% of parents were smokers, and 46.3% of them were college graduated. Nearly 61.6% of the parents and children scored ≤ 19 on C-ACT; 54.2% and 37.9% of parents knew how inhaled salbutamol and corticosteroids work, respectively. A quarter of the parents received an asthma action plan. Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that parents who did not know their children's medications name (OR, 6.1; 95% CI, 2.15-17.29), and when to use inhaled corticosteroid (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.32-3.45) were independent factors predicting uncontrolled asthma in children with score ≤ 19. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicated that there is an association between poor asthma control (scored ≤ 19 on C-ACT) and parental knowledge of asthma medications. The parents should be educated thoroughly on asthma care, including medications used to minimize asthma exacerbations in their children.

Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and barriers associated with the uptake of influenza vaccine among pregnant women.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and factors associated with the uptake of the influenza (flu) vaccination in women within Saudi Arabia during their pregnancy period. Methods: A cross-sectional prospective survey was conducted on 1085 pregnant women at the antenatal clinic over a period of 6 weeks with the provision of influenza vaccination. The questionnaire collected demographic and other data; it included 12 questions on their general knowledge and assessed their attitude toward influenza vaccination, and their awareness of vaccine risk and the potential benefits during pregnancy. The knowledge score obtained was then calculated and compared. Results: A total of 998 patients took part in the questionnaire with a response rate of 92%. There was poor awareness that the flu vaccine is safe to administer during pregnancy (130, 13.1%) and that all pregnant women should receive the flu vaccine (190, 19.1%). Pregnant women with flu vaccine knowledge score of ⩽5 (range 0-12) were significantly less likely to take the vaccine (OR 3.78, 95% CI 2.68-5.26, p < 0.001). There was a low uptake of the vaccine (178, 18.1%) and only 29 (3.0%) had previously been offered the flu vaccine by any doctor during their pregnancy. In addition, 255 (25.8%) were against taking the flu vaccine during pregnancy. Conclusion: The knowledge and uptake of the influenza vaccine among Saudi pregnant women are low. One quarter was against the vaccine during pregnancy. Very few believed the flu vaccine to be safe during pregnancy. Rarely, physicians advise their clients to take flu vaccine.

Patient adherence to warfarin therapy and its impact on anticoagulation control.

Warfarin is a commonly prescribed oral anticoagulant in Saudi Arabia and yet patient adherence to warfarin therapy and its impact on anticoagulation control have not been well researched here. A cross-sectional survey was conducted over 6 weeks at the outpatient anticoagulant clinic on patients who were receiving warfarin. Adherence was assessed using the translated Arabic version of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8). Levels of adherence were classed as low (score â©½ 7), or high (score = 8) based on the scores. Good anticoagulation control was defined as percent Time INR in Therapeutic Range (TTR) â©¾ 75% using the Rosendaal method. A total of 192 patients completed a questionnaire with a response rate of 68.1%. It was established that no association was found between adherence to warfarin therapy and INR control groups. Among the 89 (46.4%) patients who had high adherence, only 34 (38.2%) had an acceptable INR control. This was versus 103 (53.6%) patients who had low adherence but also 34 (33.0%) had good INR control. Multivariate logistic regression (MLR) analysis showed that when studying females and occupational status of unemployment, they were independently associated with poor INR control with an OR 2.31, 95% CI 1.10-4.92, and OR 2.71, 95% CI 1.12-6.61 respectively. MLR analysis also showed that age <50 years alongside no formal education was independently associated with low adherence to warfarin therapy with an OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.29-5.52 and OR 2.63, 95% CI 1.01-6.93 respectively. The demographic background influences adherence and INR control, but no association was found between adherence and anticoagulation control.

Outcome of pulmonary embolism and clinico-radiological predictors of mortality: Experience from a university hospital in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to determine the outcome of pulmonary embolism (PE) and the clinico-radiological predictors of mortality in a university hospital setting. METHODS: A Prospective observational study conducted at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh Saudi Arabia between January 2009 and 2012. A total of 105 consecutive patients (49.9 ± 18.7 years) with PE diagnosed by computed tomography pulmonary angiography were followed until death or hospital discharge. RESULTS: Overall in hospital mortality rate was 8.6%, which is lower than other international reports. Two-thirds of patients developed PE during the hospitalization. The most common risk factors were surgery (35.2%), obesity (34.3%) and immobility (30.5%). The localization of the embolus was central in 32.4%, lobar in 19% and distal in 48.6%. A total of 26 patients (25%) had evidence of right ventricular strain and 14 (13.3%) were hypotensive. Multivariate analysis revealed that heart failure (Beta = -0.53, P < 0.001), palpitation (Beta = -0.24, P = 0.014) and high respiratory rate (Beta = -0.211, P < 0.036) were significant predictors of mortality. There was no significant difference in the localization of the embolus or obstruction score between survivors and non-survivors. CONCLUSION: The outcome of PE is improving; however, it remains an important risk factor for mortality in hospitalized patients. Congestive heart failure, tachypnea and tachycardia at presentation were associated with higher mortality. These factors need to be considered for risk stratification and management decisions of PE patients. Radiological quantification of clot burden was not a predictor of death.

Hospital pharmacy practice in Saudi Arabia: Drug monitoring and patient education in the Riyadh region.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this national survey is to evaluate hospital pharmacy practice in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia. The results of the survey pertaining to the monitoring and patient education of the medication use process were presented. METHODS: We have invited pharmacy directors from all 48 hospitals in the Riyadh region to participate in a modified-American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) survey questionnaire. The survey was conducted using similar methods to those of the ASHP surveys. RESULTS: The response rate was 60.4% (29/48). Most hospitals (23, 79%) had pharmacists regularly monitor medication therapy for patients. Of these hospitals, 61% had pharmacists monitoring medication therapy daily for less than 26% of patients, 17% monitored 26-50% of patients and 22% monitored more than half of patients daily. In 41% of hospitals, pharmacists routinely monitored serum medication concentrations or their surrogate markers; 27% gave pharmacists the authority to order initial serum medication concentrations, and 40% allowed pharmacists to adjust dosages. Pharmacists routinely documented their medication therapy monitoring activities in 52% of hospitals. Overall, 74% of hospitals had an adverse drug event (ADE) reporting system, 59% had a multidisciplinary committee responsible for reviewing ADEs, and 63% had a medication safety committee. Complete electronic medical record (EMR) systems were available in 15% of hospitals and 81% had a partial EMR system. The primary responsibility for performing patient medication education lays with nursing (37%), pharmacy (37%), or was a shared responsibility (26%). In 44% of hospitals, pharmacists provided medication education to half or more inpatients and in a third of hospitals, pharmacists gave medication education to 26% or more of patients at discharge. CONCLUSION: Hospital pharmacists in the Riyadh region are actively engaged in monitoring medication therapy and providing patient medication education, although there is considerable opportunity for further involvement.

Genotype-phenotype analysis of CYP2C19 in healthy saudi individuals and its potential clinical implication in drug therapy.

UNLABELLED: CYP2C19 is a cytochrome P450 enzyme, which is involved in the metabolism of some clinically important medications and is encoded by a highly polymorphic gene. There is no available data on the distribution of the CYP2C19 *4 and *17 mutant alleles in the Saudi Arabian population. The aim of the study was to determine different CYP2C19 mutant allele (*2, *4 and *17) frequencies in healthy Saudi subjects and to determine genotype frequencies for these mutations. The CYP2C19 genotypes were then classified into phenotypes. RESULT: In 201 adults of Saudi ethnicity, the allele frequencies were CYP2C19*1 (62.9%), *17 (25.7%), *2 (11.2%) and *4 (0.2%). The most prevalent genotype combinations were CYP2C19 *1/*1 (40.3%) and *1/*17 (30.4%). The distribution of CYP2C19 phenotypes was divided into extensive metabolizers (EM) 77.6%, intermediate metabolizers (IM) 14.9%, ultra-rapid metabolizers (UM) 7% and poor metabolizers (PM) 0.4%. This finding has important clinical implications for the use of CYP2C19 metabolized medications in the Saudi population and further studies are needed.

Knowledge on adherence and safety of the oral contraceptive pill in Saudi women.

OBJECTIVE: To assess knowledge regarding adherence and safety of oral contraceptive pills (OCP) in Saudi women. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional prospective study in an outpatient pharmacy at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from April to September 2011. Participants were healthy women aged greater than or equal to 18 years with an OCP prescription for contraception. We used a validated questionnaire to assess their knowledge regarding adherence and safety of OCPs. RESULTS: Four hundred and sixty women participated. Most (79%) knew to take an extra pill if they missed one in less than 12 hours, but only 6.5% knew they also had to use extra protection for the next 7 days if it was more than 12 hours. Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that years of contraceptive use and educational level are predictive factors of better knowledge regarding adherence. Few were aware of the action if they experienced diarrhea for more than 12 hours (10%) or vomiting within 2 hours (13.5%) of taking an OCP. Only 30% knew of the adverse effects of smoking while on OCPs. Weight gain (51%) was the most commonly reported side effect. CONCLUSION: Most Saudi women taking OCPs have limited knowledge of its correct use regarding missing pills, vomiting and diarrhea, and poor awareness of the effects of smoking while using OCPs.

Hospital pharmacy practice in Saudi Arabia: Prescribing and transcribing in the Riyadh region.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this survey is to outline pharmacy services in hospitals on a regional level in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A modified-American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) survey questionnaire as pertinent to Saudi Arabia was used to conduct a national survey. After discussing with the pharmacy directors of 48 hospitals in the Riyadh region over the phone on the survey's purpose, the questionnaires were personally delivered and collected upon completion. The hospital lists were drawn from the Ministry of Health hospital database. RESULTS: Twenty-nine hospitals participated in the survey giving a response rate of 60.4%. Approximately 60% of the hospitals which participated in the survey required prior approval for the use of non-formulary medications. About 83.3% of hospitals reviewed compliance with clinical practice guidelines and 72.7% hospitals reported that pharmacists are also actively involved in these activities. Pharmacists in more than 95% of hospitals provided consultations on drug information. A staff pharmacist routinely answering questions was the most frequently cited (74.1%) method by which objective drug information was provided to prescribers. Electronic drug information resources were available in 77.7% of hospitals, although internet use is not widely available to hospital pharmacists, with only 58.6% of hospitals providing pharmacist access to the internet. About, 34.5% of hospitals had computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) systems with clinical decision-support systems (CDSSs) and 51.9% of the hospitals had electronic medical record (EMR) system. CONCLUSION: Hospital pharmacists are increasingly using electronic technologies to improve prescribing and transcribing of medications in Saudi Arabia.

Hospital pharmacy practice in Saudi Arabia: Dispensing and administration in the Riyadh region.

BACKGROUND: There is very little published data assessing hospital pharmacy practice in Saudi Arabia. Hence, a comprehensive survey has been undertaken to evaluate hospital pharmacy services of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Recently, we published the survey results on the prescribing and transcribing steps of the medication use process. This paper focuses on dispensing and administration. METHODS: A modified-American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) survey questionnaire was personally delivered to the pharmacy directors of 48 hospitals in the Riyadh region. Three attempted follow-ups were made within 3 months to non-responders and the surveys were collected upon completion. The survey was conducted using similar methods to those of the ASHP surveys. RESULTS: Twenty-nine hospitals participated in the survey with a response rate of 60.4%. Centralized distribution (74%) is the most commonly used model for inpatient pharmacies. Overall, 21% of hospitals routinely use bar coding technology in medication dispensing. None of the hospitals are using a robotic distribution system to automate the dispensing of unit doses. Automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) are used by 21% of hospitals as part of their decentralized distribution model. Sixty-one percent of hospital pharmacies have IV admixture preparation area in their facility. In the use of safety technology for medication administration, only one third of hospitals are using electronic medication administration records (eMARs), 7.4% had bar-code-assisted medication administration (BCMA) and 12% had smart infusion pumps. CONCLUSION: Hospital pharmacies in the Riyadh region are fairly well developed in providing dispensing and administration services. Further improvement can be achieved by increasing the use of new technologies such as bar-code technology, unit dose drug distribution systems, pharmacy-based IV admixture services, smart infusion pumps, and automated medication distribution.

Pattern of intravenous proton pump inhibitors use in ICU and Non-ICU setting: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The use of intravenous acid-suppressive therapy for stress ulcer prophylaxis in critically ill patients with specific risk factors has been recommended for over a decade. However, there is a lack of supporting data regarding the extension of such therapy to non-critically ill patients (non-ICU). The aim of this study was to compare appropriate indications with current practicing patterns in adult non-ICU and ICU patients, contributing factors and financial impact of inappropriate use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out at a tertiary teaching Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For a period of 4 consecutive months, all hospitalized patients on IV PPI, aged 18 and above, were identified. A concise listing of indications considered appropriate for the use of IV PPI was pre-defined based on material from available literature and guidelines. RESULTS: A total of 255 patients received IV PPI. Inappropriate use of IV PPI was significantly higher in non-ICU (71.7%) than in ICU (19.8%) patients (P=0.01). The most common cause for inappropriate use in non-ICU patients was stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP). In ICU patients, appropriate indicators for IV PPI were SUP (47.9%), PUD (11.5%), and the UGIB (20.8%). There was a high association between appropriate uses of IV PPI with respect to endoscopic procedure and also between appropriate uses of IV PPI to subsequent discharge with oral PPI in non-ICU patients. The total estimated direct cost (drug acquisition cost) for inappropriate use of IV PPI during the study period was 11,000 US dollars. CONCLUSION: Inappropriate IV PPI utilization was predominant in non-ICU patients, mostly for stress ulcer prophylaxis that leads to a waste of resources. Applying appropriate policies, procedures and evidence-based guidelines, educated physicians and surgeons can clearly limit inappropriate IV PPI use.