Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices about Pharmacovigilance among Community Pharmacists in Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward ticks and tick-borne diseases: a cross-sectional study in Rwanda

BACKGROUND

Ticks and tick-borne diseases pose significant global risks to humans and animals, leading to economic losses and health threats. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward ticks and tick-borne diseases among adults in Rwanda.

METHODS

The sample size was determined using a single-population proportion formula. Binary logistic regression was used to identify the factors influencing attitudes and practices. In contrast, multinomial logistic regression was applied to assess the factors affecting the level of knowledge about ticks and tick-borne diseases. Variables with a p-value < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

This study included 377 participants, with an average age of 35.38 years and a standard deviation of 10.58. Most participants were male (56.2%) and lived in rural areas (51.7%). Nearly one-third (32.1%) were healthcare professionals. A significant proportion of the participants (64.7%) reported having prior tick bites, while 46.7% experienced related symptoms, and 41.4% had relatives affected by tick-borne diseases. The knowledge levels of the participants varied; 49% demonstrated a good understanding of ticks and TBDs. However, only 28% of the respondents reported positive attitudes towards tick-borne diseases, and 56% reported good preventive practices. Regression analyses indicated that participants aged 45 years or older had significantly greater odds of possessing moderate (AOR = 3.81, 95% CI: 0.001-2.6) and high knowledge (AOR = 5.24, 95% CI: 0.34-2.96) than younger participants. In contrast, males presented lower odds of having moderate knowledge (AOR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.10-1.56) and high knowledge (AOR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.81-1.37) than females did. Healthcare professionals were more likely to possess high knowledge (AOR = 3.24, 95% CI: 0.32-2.83) than those outside the healthcare field. Furthermore, positive attitudes were significantly associated with older age (AOR = 2.54, 95% CI: 1.137-5.654), urban residence (AOR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.335-0.920), and living in western provinces (AOR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.186-0.770). Notably, participants with moderate (AOR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.109-0.582) or high knowledge (AOR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.056-0.297) and positive attitudes (AOR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.306-0.928) were at lower odds to engage in poor preventive practices. Conversely, urban residents had higher odds of exhibiting sub-optimal preventive practices (AOR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.09-2.90) than their rural counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study reveals key knowledge gaps and negative attitudes about ticks and TBDs in Rwanda, especially among youth, males, and urban populations. Targeted education, healthcare training, and community-driven surveillance are needed to improve prevention and monitoring. Strengthening TBD surveillance and integrating education into health programs will help reduce disease burden and enhance resilience, requiring multisectoral collaboration to safeguard public health.

Hospital Pharmacists' Attitudes and Intentions Toward Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting in Saudi Arabia: Insights from the Theory of Planned Behavior

Objective: This study assessed hospital pharmacists' awareness, attitudes, and behaviors regarding adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting and explored cognitive factors shaping hospital pharmacists' intentions to report ADRs, using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a framework. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among hospital pharmacists from various regions of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected on their intentions to report ADRs to the national pharmacovigilance center (NPC), along with their attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control related to ADR reporting. Descriptive statistics summarized the data, while multivariate logistic regression analyzed the influence of TPB constructs on reporting intentions. Results: A total of 141 hospital pharmacists participated in the study. While 86.5% of them were aware of the Saudi NPC, only 30% had reported ADRs in the past year. A strong intention to report ADRs was observed in 56% of the hospital pharmacists. Additionally, 53% exhibited a highly positive attitude, 57% perceived strong social norms, 52.5% reported high perceived behavioral control, and 63.8% expressed a strong moral obligation to report ADRs. Subjective norms and moral obligation emerged as significant predictors of the hospital pharmacists' intention to report ADRs, according to the TPB constructs. Conclusions: While awareness of the Saudi NPC among hospital pharmacists was high, ADR reporting rates were low. Enhancing education, addressing barriers, and leveraging moral and normative drivers may strengthen pharmacovigilance practices and improve ADR reporting adherence among hospital pharmacists, ultimately fostering safer healthcare delivery.

Pharmacovigilance and outcomes: experience from Saudi Arabia narrative review

INTRODUCTION

Pharmacovigilance (PV) plays a central role as a quality benchmark for healthcare systems in any country. Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) contribute significantly to patient hospitalization and are major contributors to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Achieving improvements in health infrastructure and employing precise monitoring tools are essential components of drug safety. As reliance on drug therapy increases, patient exposure to potential risks rises, emphasizing the importance of minimizing ADRs.

AREA COVERED

A search for studies published from January 2010 to November 2023 was retrieved from PubMed, Medline, and Google Scholar databases. We developed the search strategies using the Mesh terms and keywords. Only English-language literature was included.

EXPERT OPINION

Twenty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria and utilized to evaluate the pharmacovigilance and its outcomes. The Saudi 2030 vision outlines an initiative to enhance patient care through a robust, safety- and quality-centered culture, fostering collaboration between drug manufacturers and regulatory authorities. This collaborative approach is expected to result in higher-quality care for the public. Moreover, a unified, simple, and advanced ADR reporting portal, in collaboration with stakeholders, is recommended to enhance the quality of ADR reporting. Also, commitment to training, updating courses, and incorporating PV practices into curricula demonstrates progress in Saudi PV System.

Empowering Patient Safety: Assessment of Adverse Drug Reaction Knowledge and Practice Among Pharmacy Professionals

Despite technological advancements, healthcare professionals must actively prioritize patient safety. Reporting adverse drug reactions is a critical aspect of this responsibility, and the most accessible healthcare providers, community pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians play a key role. Therefore, this study assessed their knowledge and practices regarding adverse drug reaction reporting in Croatia. A total of 180 participants were included. Pharmacists demonstrated significantly better knowledge than technicians (94.78 vs. 73.97, p = 0.024). Chronic medication users also showed greater understanding compared to non-users (104.96 vs. 85.39, p = 0.021). Knowledge improved with the number of adverse drug reactions reported, and most participants (72.78%) had reported adverse drug reactions. Pharmacists were 83.60% more likely to report adverse drug reactions than technicians (p < 0.001). These findings reveal a gap in pharmacy technicians' integration into pharmacovigilance, underscoring a need to strengthen their role in adverse drug reaction reporting and patient safety.

Career choice of Saudi medical students: opting for ophthalmology residency programs - perceptions and sociodemographic influencing factors - a cross-sectional study in Northern Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The present survey aimed to explore northern Saudi medical students' perceptions and sociodemographic influencing factors in choosing ophthalmology as a career specialty to determine if they are in alignment with the health sector transformation program of the Vision 2030 initiative.

METHODS

This study was conducted among 384 medical students from two universities in northern Saudi Arabia (KSA). We used a standard and validated questionnaire to collect the required data. The perception aspect consisted of 20 questions divided into five subdomains: personal and lifestyle factors, residency program aspects, patients' care, work culture, and financial factors. We used binomial logistic regression to find sociodemographic predictors for choosing ophthalmology as the first choice.

RESULTS

The present study demonstrated that northern Saudi medical students preferred ophthalmology as the second most preferred specialty (11.2%). Among the motivational factors, the most frequently reported was the influence of faculty members from their college (74.2%), followed by financial aspects (74%) and family and friends (73.7%). The preference to choose ophthalmology was significantly higher among female gender (ref: male, AOR = 2.63, 95% CI = 1.39-4.88, p = 0.001) and students with a GPA of 4.6 and above (ref: GPA less than 3.5, AOR = 3.77, 95% CI = 2.99-5.36, p = 0.023).

CONCLUSION

Northern Saudi medical students' preference for ophthalmology aligns with Vision 2030 goals. Therefore, it is essential to tailor strategies by policymakers to the medical students according to the identified sociodemographic influencing factors. Furthermore, we recommend prospective studies across all the regions of KSA to identify regional variations.

Pharmacovigilance Concept Knowledge, Perspectives and Attitudes: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Community Pharmacists

The concept of pharmacovigilance (PV) is currently highlighted after emergency authorization and worldwide distribution of the urgently launched COVID-19 novel vaccinations. As they typically serve as the initial point of patient contact for medication-related issues, understanding the knowledge, perspectives, and attitudes of community pharmacists in PV and reporting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is crucial to improving the healthcare system and public health policies. However, previous studies in Jordan have not focused entirely on community pharmacists. This study aimed to assess community pharmacists' knowledge, perspectives, and attitudes on PV and ADRs reporting in Jordan. The applied methodology in this study was based on a cross-sectional study design using a validated questionnaire distributed to a convenient sample of Jordanian community pharmacists. Seventeen questions were designed from different pieces of literature relating to knowledge, perspectives, and attitudes of PV among community pharmacists. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) were used to report the results data. The study questionnaire was completed by 180 of 325 community pharmacists willing to participate (a response rate of 55.4%). Of them (n = 132, 73%) were aware of the concept of PV. Additionally (n = 84, 47%) of the community pharmacists would use the concept and policy of PV in their everyday work. Nevertheless, only (n = 36, 20.0%) of the community pharmacists thought an ADR should be reported if seen, and approximately 120 pharmacists (67.0%) believed it was essential to report ADRs as patient health matters. Although community pharmacists in Jordan showed a considerable awareness level of PV, they demonstrated a low level of its application. Thus, ADR reporting is not considered a mainstay among them, and the implementation of PV is not yet addressed. The results from this study shed light on community pharmacists' perceptions and attitudes regarding ADR reporting and PV.