Abstract
Purpose: To determine the knowledge, attitude and reported practice of Lebanese community pharmacists who advise persons who present with low back pain.Methods: This was a multi-center cross-sectional study conducted in over 300 community pharmacies across Lebanon from December 2017 to May 2018. Pharmacists working at a community pharmacy were considered eligible, and those who volunteered to participate completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed for self-completion by the pharmacist and included demographic questions about the respondent, questions that assessed knowledge and attitude toward low back pain, and questions about treatment to reflect and characterize the nature of practice. The primary outcome was to determine the knowledge, attitude and reported practice of the Lebanese pharmacists advising people who presented with low back pain. The secondary outcome was to assess factors that affect knowledge, attitude, and practice.Results: The response of 320 community pharmacists was analysed. The proportion of pharmacists with good knowledge about low back pain (51. 7 %) was slightly higher than those with poor knowledge (48. 3 %). Oral therapy was the most prescribed dosage form for back pain compared to local patch and cream. Among oral dosage forms, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were the most prescribed medications (42 %). Of the patients’ referral to the physician if necessary, 73.1 % of the referrals were by pharmacists.Conclusion: Community pharmacists in Lebanon demonstrate an acceptable level of knowledge of back pain, yet major gaps still exist, particularly in terms of the quality of advice. Hence, more education is needed to provide better quality of advice.
 Keywords: Attitude, Knowledge, Low back pain, Reported practice, Quality of advice
Highlights
Low back pain (LBP) is a very common disorder that affects 80 percent of people at some point in their life
Many patients with LBP presenting first to the physician will subsequently present to the pharmacy with a prescription, making pharmacists in a perfect position to give appropriate advice and support guidance given by other healthcare professionals [3]
The gaps in knowledge of Lebanese community pharmacists about low back pain showed by this survey were higher than the results of a similar survey done in England but lower than one done in Australia [10,11]
Summary
Low back pain (LBP) is a very common disorder that affects 80 percent of people at some point in their life. It is one of the most common causes that leads to job-related disability and missed work days [1]. In Lebanon, community pharmacists can be consulted for advice and to support guidance given by other healthcare professionals without an appointment. Many patients with LBP presenting first to the physician will subsequently present to the pharmacy with a prescription, making pharmacists in a perfect position to give appropriate advice and support guidance given by other healthcare professionals [3]. Pharmacists are well positioned to provide evidence-based advice on LBP and contribute to patient’s health outcomes and quality of life [2]
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