Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Dietary Supplementation, before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey in the Lebanese Population.

At the start of 2020, a new coronavirus (COVID-19) invaded the world leading to the death of 3.92 million people. Sadly, to date, no remedy has been discovered for this virus. Preventive vaccines have been under investigation, but were unavailable until December 2020. Clinical deficiencies of nutrients may increase susceptibility to infections. This knowledge may have provided an incentive for some dietary supplement (DS) manufacturers to advertise their products as COVID-19 preventatives or cures without any substantiation, targeting mainly social media fans. The objective of this research was to assess the usage, knowledge and attitudes towards dietary supplementation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic among Lebanese people. A cross-sectional study was conducted based on a convenience sample (N = 2966) and information from participants aged 18 years and above was collected about periods before and during the pandemic. Our findings showed that attitudes towards DSs changed when the pandemic emerged and people believed that DSs can improve their health and strengthen their immunity. Despite the rise in DS prescription by healthcare professionals, the prevalence of DS use decreased from 73.3% before the pandemic to 69.9% during the pandemic (p < 0.001). Study results declared that the weekly or the daily estimated intake had increased during the pandemic as compared to before the pandemic, from 14% to 15.6% for antioxidants (p = 0.014), from 35.3% to 42.1% for vitamin C (p < 0.001), from 35.5% to 41% for vitamin D (p < 0.001), from 15.2% to 17.5% for vitamin E (p = 0.002), and from 18.8% to 29.3% for zinc (p < 0.001) and other vitamins and minerals (from 9% to 10.9%, p < 0.001). Binary logistic regression indicated that the use of DSs during the pandemic was 4 times higher among those infected with COVID-19, 30 times higher among those who used to take DSs before pandemic, and 1.5 times higher among those who worked in the medical sector. To conclude, there is a crucial need to increase awareness among Lebanese people regarding the use of DSs.

[Clinical pharmacy in lebanon: a pilot study regarding health care professionals' opinion]. / Une étude pilote concernant l'opinion du personnel hospitalier.

INTRODUCTION: In Lebanon, clinical pharmacy is not professionally applied, despite being taught and required by the accreditation system of hospitals established by the Ministry of Health. The objective of our study is to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of medical professionals regarding the concept of clinical pharmacy. METHODS: It is a descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted in hospitals with doctors, nurses and administrators. Standardized self-filling questionnaires were distributed. RESULTS: The majority of physicians and of nurses found a clinical pharmacist intervention beneficial. All administrators were ready to accept a clinical pharmacist in their institution, since his/her presence would contribute to the reduction of hospitalization costs, mortality and morbidity. DISCUSSION: Medical professionals have a clear and positive idea regarding clinical pharmacy. CONCLUSION: Different steps are necessary in order to integrate clinical pharmacy in the Lebanese health care system.