Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, and the Perceived Barriers with Respect to the Use of Herbal Medicines

Abstract

Community pharmacists are in an ideal position to counsel patients about herbal medicines. This study was designed to determine the knowledge, attitude, practice, and barriers about the herbal medicines among community pharmacists in Najran, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a representative sample of 62 community pharmacists in Najran, Saudi Arabia, from June to September 2019. Majority of the participants were aged between 20 and 29 years, had a bachelor's degree, and work experience ranged between 1 and 5 years. Ginseng (54.8%) was the most regularly dispensed herb. The pharmacists held a significant degree of knowledge about the therapeutic uses with an average of 78.61% correct answers (P = 0.000), and the majority (63.54%) recognized correctly the possible adverse effects, drug-herb interactions, and contraindications related to herbal medicines (P = 0.000). The majority of the community pharmacists owned a positive attitude and showed good practices toward herbal medicine. The community pharmacists in the Najran region showed good knowledge, a positive attitude, and efficient practice toward herbal medicines. However, there is a demand for further training, continuing medical education, enhanced access to authentic sources of information, and stringent regulation and control of traditional drug stores to realize the achievement of patient-centered public health activities.