Drug Information Sources Research Articles

Influence of pharmaceutical representatives on prescription decisions by physicians in Qassim province.

Pharmaceutical representatives are an important part of the marketing of pharmaceutical products and an important source of prescribing information for common practitioners. Thus, this study aims to identify factors that affect physicians' drug selection decisions, determine the main source of information for physicians about new drugs, and the most effective reminder methods used by pharmaceutical representatives. This study is a cross-sectional study that was distributed to doctors in different health specialties and different clinics and hospitals in the Qassim region from February to March 2020. The data collected were analyzed using Microsoft Excel. The Internet is the most considered main source of new drug information. Moreover, hospital policy is the most common factor that affects physicians' drug selection decisions. Finally, leaflets and pharmaceutical sales representatives' (PRs') frequent visits are the most effective reminder methods. This study showed the main source of new drug information was the Internet. In comparison, the factor that affects the physician's drug selection decision in this study was hospital policy. Finally, the most effective reminder methods were PRs' frequent visits and also an equal percentage leaflet.

Routine medical check-up and self-treatment practices among population living in mountainous area of a tribal district of Odisha

Background: Self-treatment is recognized as one of the global public health issues. Geographical distance, constrained financial resources, and lack of awareness are the main barriers for people in remote areas to access health care. Self-treatment may also have risky consequences such as side effects and antibiotic resistance. It is assumed that the rate of self-treatment is high in the unreachable hilly tribal areas because of the geographical factor. Aim and Objective: The primary objective of the present study is to find out the prevalence and reason of self-medication, and the sources of drug information. The secondary objective is to assess the awareness of routine medical check-up among the tribal population of the hilly areas of the Koraput district of Odisha. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted after receiving clearance from the Institutional Ethical Committee, SLN MCH, Koraput. The study was conducted from February 2022 in some hilly villages near Koraput, which is a typical mountainous commune with the terrain divided by many mountains. Simple random sampling was done using computer software for selecting participants (sample size: 200). The participants were contacted and our interviewer visited door-to-door for face-to-face interviews. The research team developed a structured questionnaire to use in the face-to-face interviews. The questionnaire included questions about demographic characteristics, access to medical facilities, frequency of routine medical check-ups in the past 12 months, health information sources, and distance to the nearest health facility. A series of questions regarding self-treatment practices were also asked: Whether they had purchased any medication without prescription in the past 3 months, what the symptoms were, and what kind of medicines they bought, and the reasons they bought the medicines on their own. Results: The study found that prevalence of self-medication was 92 (46%, C.I. 95%). The majority of residents had self-medication when they suffered from common cold and cough (16% of participants), fever (8%), diarrhea (6%), body pain or myalgia (8%), and allergy (2%). The most prevalent groups of drugs used were antipyretics such as paracetamol (36%), antibiotics (30%), antihistamines (14%), and analgesics such as diclofenac and nimesulide (26%). The most common reason for choosing a local practitioner or private pharmacist and health worker was the subjects’ proximity to them. Of the self-medicated population in our study, 62% procured medicines from local practitioners, chemists, or health workers residing in their villages or nearby villages. Conclusion: Rational use of drugs requires that patients receive medications appropriate to their clinical needs, in doses that meet their own individual requirements for an adequate period of time and at the lowest cost to them and their community. Self-medication unfortunately does not follow the standard, scientific, and rational criteria. Due to self-medication quality of medicine, scientific, and rational procurement, rational prescription is always questionable.

The Frequency and Efficiency of the Application of Online Sources for Searching Drug Information and Self-Treatment

The Frequency and Efficiency of the Application of Online Sources for Searching Drug Information and Self-Treatment

Utilization of drug information resources among community pharmacists in Jordan: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundPharmacists are considered to be important sources of drug information (DI) for patients and other healthcare providers. This study aims to examine the characteristics of DI utilization for practicing pharmacists in Jordan and identify the main barriers that impede their ability to utilize them. MethodA cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted in Jordan between the 27th of November 2020 and 18th of January 2021. Our questionnaire was constructed to explore pharmacists’ utilization patterns of DI resources, the types of DI resources they use and barriers impeding them. ResultsA total of 1875 pharmacists participated in this study. Only one-fifth of the participating pharmacists reported that they referred to DI databases. The most commonly reported databases/websites were Drugs.com, Jordan FDA, and Medscape. The most commonly reported paper-based resources were Drugs in Jordan, Step up pharmacy, and British Pharmacopeia. The most commonly used mobile applications were Drugs.com, Medscape and Lexicomp. 44% of the pharmacists reported that they use DI resources fewer than five times per week and more than half of them (60.7%, n = 1138) reported that the day-shift was the shift that allowed them more time to use DI resources. Lack of time was the most common barrier (53.2%) that restricted the ability of pharmacists to use DI resources. ConclusionUsing electronic resources is still deficient and far from optimum and interventions to improve the pharmacists’ utilization of electronic drug databases are required. Universities and various pharmaceutical bodies are advised to train pharmacists on using DI databases.

Perceptions of Yemeni physicians about sources of drug information and factors predicting their choices

Perceptions of Yemeni physicians about sources of drug information and factors predicting their choices

Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives in the United States and China: The Need for Professional Public Space.

Pharmaceutical sales representatives (PSRs) are one of the most frequently used drug information sources for physicians in both the United States and China. During face-to-face interactions, PSRs use various promotional strategies to impact the prescribing behavior. In the United States, PSRs provide physicians small gifts, free drug samples, and “sincere friendships”, whereas in China, they played an indispensable role in medical corruption over the past three decades. To cope with the undue influence of PSRs, both these countries have taken positive but insufficient measures to eliminate the effect thus far. By comparing the strategies of American and Chinese PSRs, it was found that building a friendly personal relationship with physicians in a relatively closed private environment (such as physician’s office) is a key factor to exert an individualized influence on physicians, even in different social backgrounds and healthcare contexts. Therefore, this essay suggests that it is necessary to limit the establishment of personal relationships and maintain a more professional interaction to reduce the personalized psychological and emotional influences on physicians’ professional judgment. To achieve this goal, it is proposed to transfer the physician-PSR interaction to a professional public space as a supplement to current countermeasures and suggestions. The presence of others and the possibility of third party participation will stimulate more ethical and reputational concerns. It is hoped that the increased transparency of the interaction will promote participants to consider more professional norms and mitigate the undue influence of PSRs’ individualized strategies.

Readiness for Drug Information Service Provision in Community Pharmacies in Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria

This study was aimed at assessing the readiness for drug information service (DIS) provision at community pharmacies in Akwa Ibom state using a cross sectional, observational study approach. A pretested, validated questionnaire was adapted for the study. A total of 187 premises were enlisted for visits with questionnaires targeted at the superintendent pharmacists for desired responses. Response rate was 93.6%. Respondents were male (77, 44%) and female (98, 56%) with mean years of experience of respondents as 18.7 years. All respondents were aware of DIS terminologies and believed the concept to include enquiries on dosing (75%), side effects of drugs (99%), safety of drugs in cases such as pregnancy (79%), drug route of administration (80%), pill identification (66%) and substitutes to requested drugs (78%). Responses to limitations in discharging efficient DIS include non-trending service style (26%), premises requiring restructuring (26%), prohibitive setting up cost (17%) and non-availability of trained personnel (7%). At the time of this study, available resources for DIS in the premises included reference books (90%), periodicals (19%), and internet access through smart phones (60%). Secondary and tertiary sources of drug information were essentially relied on for DIS provision in the study area. There was significant association between socio-demographic characteristics such as age with readiness status (p<0.05). There was poor in-service training for effective DIS provision. Summarily, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the DIS approach across the state. There is need for improvement in facilities and resources for efficient discharge of DIS in the study area.

PDG37 Reporting of Patient-Reported Outcomes for Psoriasis in FDA Drug Labels, Medical Reviews, and Trial Publications: 2006-2019

Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin disease affecting patients’ daily lives significantly. To incorporate patient perspectives, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have been widely used for treatment decision-making in patients with psoriasis. However, it is unclear whether the PROs are consistently reported in different drug information sources. This study examined the PRO data reporting in psoriasis drugs’ pivotal trials by comparing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labeling, FDA medical reviews, and trial publications. We included new molecular entities (NMEs) and biologic license applications (BLAs) initially approved by the FDA for psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis between 1/1/2006 and 12/31/2019. Product labeling and medical reviews of included drugs were collected from [email protected] (the FDA-approved drugs database) and examined details on PRO measures used in pivotal trials and the trials’ design. Using the identified trial design, trial registrations at ClinicalTrials.gov (the National Library of Medicine’s trial registry) were searched, and the list of publications was obtained. From the list, we identified matching trial publications by excluding review articles and duplicates, and the reporting of PRO measures were investigated. Data were extracted by two authors independently, and discrepancies were resolved through discussion. Of nine drugs indicated for psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis, seven (78%) of their product labeling contained information about five unique PRO measures. However, all of their FDA medical reviews included information about 14 unique PRO measures used in 21 pivotal trials. From ClinicalTrials.gov, 53 matching trial publications were identified, and 34 (64%) contained information about 13 unique PRO measures. Five drugs had discrepancies in reported PRO measures between FDA medical reviews and trial publications. PRO measures were inconsistently reported in psoriasis drugs’ product labeling, FDA medical reviews, and trial publications. Further investigation is warranted to explore the reasons behind such an inconsistent reporting of PRO measures among different drug information sources.

The Relationship between Knowledge and Attitudes and the Rationality of Antibiotic Use Behavior in Pharmacy Students

Antibiotics are the most commonly prescribed, sold, and used drugs worldwide. In some developing countries, many antibiotics can be obtained without a prescription and cause a person to take antibiotics irrationally. Pharmacists are the main source of information on the rational use of antibiotics. Therefore, it is important to know the knowledge and rationality behavior of antibiotic use among pharmacy students because they are potential sources of drug information in the future. This study used an observational analytic method with a cross-sectional study design approach. Sampling was done by means of total sampling involving 147 respondents. Data analysis was performed using the chi-square test. The results showed that pharmacy students have good knowledge of 84.4%, positive attitude 88.4%, and rational behavior 90.5%. The results of the chi-square test obtained p values ​​of 0.003 and 0.001. There is a relationship between knowledge and attitudes towards the rationality of behavior using antibiotics.

PREVALENCE, PRACTICE, PERCEPTION OF SELF-MEDICATION PATTERN AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS

Objective: The use of drugs (prescription as well as non-prescription by the individual for treating self-diagnosed conditions/symptoms is a practice prevalent all around the world, though the extent, the reason may vary. The practice of self-medication is increasingly becoming a part of self-care. If practiced properly and with the authentic knowledge of drugs, it can save resources such as time and money. However, its improper use may lead to various health problems like adverse drug reactions, prolonged suffering, and drug-dependence and increase resistance among various pathogens. It has many implications, especially among medical students who have some knowledge and exposure to drugs and can present a serious threat to professionalism in medicine and it has the potential to put at risk public trust into this profession. The aim of this research was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of self-medication among medical students.
 Methods: Research was performed as a cross-sectional study and it included 150, 2nd year (4th semester) students of a medical college. Students filled out a questionnaire created for the purpose of this research and consisted of both open-ended and close-ended questions about demographic and self-medication Consenting students anonymously filled the questionnaire. Questions about self-medication were related to the period of the previous three months.
 Results: Out of 150 filled questionnaires, data of 126 were analysed as twenty-four Questionnaires were incomplete. 90.47%% medical students were found to practice self-medication. Symptoms for which they took the drugs for self-medication were fever (49.68%) followed by headache, common cold/cough and pain abdomen. Drugs taken by them for self-medication were Paracetamol (85.79%), antibiotics (77.54%), analgesics, Antihistaminic and cough suppressants. Ease (43.65%) was cited as the main reason for self-medication by the respondents. Most common source of drug information was their experience in the past illness (54.03%) Of the respondents 90.48% knew about adverse drug reactions and 93.65% knew about drug-drug interactions.
 Conclusion: This study shows that the practice of self-medication is rampant among medical students of the institute. In this situation, awareness should be created toward appropriate antibiotic usage and the practice of responsible self-medication needs to be promoted among future healthcare providers. Furthermore, stringent implementation of laws governing the sale of prescription medicines can help in limiting the self-medication practice.

Perceptions, Expectations, and Experience of Physicians About Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Care Services in Pakistan: Findings and Implications.

Background: Optimal collaboration between pharmacists and other healthcare professionals such as physicians is integral in implementing pharmaceutical care. However, there are concerns regarding the role of pharmacists, especially among low- and middle-income countries. This study explored the perceptions, expectations, and experience of physicians working in various hospital settings of Punjab, Pakistan, about pharmacists and their roles. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire consisting of four sections was administered from October to December 2020. Descriptive and inferential statistics such as Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used for data analysis using SPSS. Results: Six hundred and seventy-eight physicians participated in this study with a response rate of 77.9%. Most of the physicians reported minimal to no interaction with pharmacists (n = 521, 76.8%). However, more than three-quarters of physicians (n = 660, 97.3%) accepted pharmacists as evidence-based sources of drug information. In addition, many physicians (n = 574, 84.7%) strongly agreed that pharmacists should attend patient care rounds to respond promptly to questions related to patient medication. A limited number of physicians (n = 124, 18.3%) assumed that pharmacists were advising their patients regarding the judicial use of their drugs. Median expectation and experience score had a significant association with age, experience, and education of physicians (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The perception of physicians was positive toward certain roles of pharmacists, coupled with high expectations. However, their experience was low, with most of the activities of pharmacists due to inadequate interprofessional coordination.

Leveraging Design Thinking for Pharmaceutical Digital Marketing

Worldwide, the time spent online and in digital media has been increasing, thus becoming the primary source of health and medical information. This phenomenon is driving all business, including the pharmaceutical industry, in gearing toward digital marketing strategies. Developing countries like Thailand still extend existing laws to regulate digital media despite the differences with traditional media, and consumers face the risks of buying drugs illegally and products that overclaim despite stringent pre-approval regulations on drug marketing. This study utilizes design thinking as a human-centric research method to propose appropriate and practical digital marketing guidelines for the pharmaceutical industry, using 53 informants. The problems were that consumers face persuasive risks and the need for reliable sources of drug information. The current regulatory process places a high burden on regulators and the laws that enforce it. However, several new digital strategies such as unbranded information and targeted marketing are not covered by existing laws. Regulations on teleconsultation are also needed, but no legislation currently exists for such activities. And finally, experts have articulated four domains as follows: eRegulations, e-Information sources, and e-Consultation to provide easy access to professionals, and e-Ethics, a supportive mechanism toward ethical drug marketing

Prevalence, pattern, source of drug information, and reasons for self-medication among dermatology patients.

Self-medication is common with dermatology patients. Yet, studies on this phenomenon are few. The pattern and reasons for self-medication are not clear. The objective of this study was to document the prevalence, pattern, source of drug information, and reasons for self-medication among dermatology patients. This was a prospective cross-sectional study of 468 adult dermatology patients over a 9-month period. A self-administered questionnaire was administered to all new patients to the dermatology outpatient clinic. The questionnaire had questions on sociodemographic data, self-medication, what specifically was used by the patients, source of information, and reasons for self-medication. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 22.0. Statistics such as means, medians, and frequencies. t test and chi-square test are presented. The mean age of the patients was 37.9 ± 16.3. The prevalence of self-medication was 63.7%. The pattern of self-medication was herbal only in 11.7%, western medication only in 45.6%, and western and herbal in 42.6%. Reason for self-medication was easy accessibility in 54%, difficulty seeing a doctor in 16.8%, and difficulty accessing medical care in 13.8%. Source of drug information was Pharmacist in 46.3% and friend in 26.5%. Self-medication was significant in males and in those with inflammatory diseases. Self-medication was common and this was due to ready accessibility of drugs and poor access to doctors. Self-medication was common in males and in those who have inflammatory diseases. The pattern of self-medication was dependent on age and the level of education. Source of information on drugs was pharmacists, friends, and family.

Perceptions of the provision of drug information, pharmaceutical detailing and engagement with non-personal promotion at a large physicians network: a mixed-methods study

ObjectiveNon-personal promotion (NPP) such as digital, print-based marketing, direct promotional visits and free drug samples are means of pharmaceutical marketing. This study described practices of drug information, pharmaceutical detailing and...

Digital drug information sources: quality assessment and ethical aspects

Digital drug information sources: quality assessment and ethical aspects

Sources of Drug Information and the Rate of Reading Patient Information Leaflets by Medical Sciences Students

Background and aims: Patient information leaflets (PILs) are the best form of written information transfer. The aim of this study was to investigate the sources of drug information and the reading rate of PILs among medical sciences students.Methods: Three hundred students were entered in this cross-sectional study via simple random sampling at the Faculty of Paramedical, Nursing and Midwifery of Guilan University of Medical Sciences in 2018.Results: The participants considered the physician as the most reliable source for receiving drug information. Pharmacists, PILs, and the Internet were mentioned as the next sources, respectively. About 15.3% of people always read PILs. Students used PILs along with other sources of drug information.Conclusion: The type of medication and the individuals’ need for the type of information, along with the structure and presentation of the materials in the PILs, are all contributing factors.

Patient Safety Culture in Handling Prescriptions and Interprofessional Collaboration Practices Amongst Community Pharmacists: An Investigative Simulated Patient Study from the United Arab Emirates.

BackgroundCommunity pharmacists are in a unique position to identify drug therapy-related problems (DTRPs) in prescriptions and mitigate them by communicating with prescriber. This study assessed the ability of community pharmacists (CPs) to identify DTRPs in prescriptions, the level of interprofessional collaboration among physician and CPs in mitigating the identified DTRPs, and the existing safety culture practices among CPs.MethodsTrained simulated patients (SPs), five final-year BSc Pharm female students, visited conveniently selected community pharmacies (n = 50) in Ajman emirate of the United Arab Emirates, with dummy prescriptions containing DTRPs (total 50 prescriptions with five different types of DTRPs categorized per the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe Version 8) and assessed the DTRP-identifying ability of the CPs. SPs also observed the steps taken by the CPs to mitigate identified DTRPs and existing (if any) collaborative practices between CPs and physician. SPs documented their observations in a checklist immediately after leaving the pharmacy premises, which served as the data source. Statistical analyses were performed with chi-square at alpha = 0.05.ResultsOf the 50 respondents, 44% (n = 22) were able to identify the DTRPs. DTRP identification by pharmacists was associated with labeling [chi-square = 7.879, p value = 0.019], reconciliation [chi-square = 10.359, p value = 0.001], counseling standard [chi-square = 19.09, p = 0.000] and physician visit suggestion [chi-square = 31.15, p = 0.000]. The labeling standards for prescriptions with DTRPs were “low” in five (50%), “average“ in three (30%) and “good” in two (20%) of the cases with wrong dose. Average counseling time of the CPs was 80.38 ± 71.61 seconds. The counseling standard had no significant association with counseling time [chi-square = 34.79, p = 0.250] and use of drug information sources [chi-square = 2.86, p = 0.243]. Average time spent in dispensing is 74.4 ± 73.05 seconds. None (n = 0) of the CPs communicated with the physician, and only five out of 50 (10%) of CPs checked any DI sources. However, in 19 (38%) cases, the CPs recommended the SPs to consult their physician prior to taking the medications.ConclusionCPs were generally able to identify DTRPs and mitigate DTRPs by recommending physician consultation. Nevertheless, there were no professional collaborations between the SPs and physicians. The dispensing and counseling standards were not appreciable.

Self-medication practices in a rural population in Tamil Nadu

Background: Self-medication is one of the harmful practices of growing concern where health care facilities are out of reach in the rural population. So, this study was carried out to know about the prevalence of self-medication and the type of drugs commonly used and the reason for self-medication. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 subjects in Out-patient department of a rural primary health centre, Sirugambur during April and May 2016. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used after obtaining informed consent. It was analysed using SPSS trial version 20. Univariate analysis was done. P value &lt;0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Majority of the study population were in the age group of 18-30 years (38.6%), followed by 31-45 years (36.7%). The prevalence of self-medication use was 78.7% (n=118). Among those, 111 (74%) were getting medicines from medical shop directly. The common reasons for going to medical shop was easy accessibility (52.3%), immediate response (22.5%), and familiarity (18%). The most common source of drug information reported was pharmacist and friends (76.6%), followed by media (21%). The drugs commonly used were paracetamol (42%), antibiotics (32.1%) and antihistamines (16%).Conclusions: The prevalence of self-medication use was high in the study population. Self-medication is one of the components of self-care adopted by the WHO. The drug regulatory and health authorities have to increase awareness among the general public especially in rural areas on the pros and cons of responsible self-medications to eventually improve their attitudes towards the practices of self-medication.

GAMBARAN PENGETAHUAN MASYARAKAT DALAM PENGOBATAN SENDIRI (SWAMEDIKASI) UNTUK OBAT ANALGESIK

Self-medication is an alternative that is taken by the community to increase the affordability of treatment. This study aims to determine the description of Community Knowledge in Self-medication (Self-medication) for analgesics in Sukmajaya Village - Depok City. This research uses descriptive quantitative method. Samples were taken as many as 250 respondents from RW 09 and RW 10. Samples were taken randomly, the data obtained were analyzed univariate and bivariate with SPSS 20. The results showed that from 250 respondents, (90%) conducted self-medication with analgesic drugs, public knowledge. about high self-medication (72%) as well as knowledge of analgesics (58.8%). There is a significant relationship between education and self-medication, namely respondents who have low education have a chance of doing self-medication as well as knowledge of self-medication, namely respondents who have high self-medication knowledge have a chance of 3,193 times to do self-medication. The reason respondents did self-medication was because the disease was considered mild (52.4%). Source of drug information mostly comes from electronic media (88%). The analgesic drug that is widely used is paracetamol (63.6%).

Evaluation of knowledge, attitude and practice of healthcare providers towards life-threatening drug-drug interactions in Penang General Hospital, Malaysia

IntroductionThe evaluation of knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of health care providers on the life-threatening drug-drug interactions (DDIs) and the implementation of specific interventions may enhance patients’ safety. The current study was designed to evaluate the KAP of healthcare providers (HCPs) on life-threatening DDIs using different drug information sources. MethodsValidated questionnaire contains demographic data, knowledge and practice questions related to the life-threatening DDIs, and attitude towards the preferable sources of drug information. The survey forms were distributed to pharmacists as well as ward doctors in departments of cardiology, nephrology, neurology, and infectious diseases, in Penang General Hospital, Penang, Malaysia. ResultsThe overall response rate for 220 distributed questionnaires was 65.45%. Knowledge level is associated with healthcare specialty (p < 0.001), with 100% houseman officer having low knowledge, years of experience (p < 0.05) (50% of the HCPs with11–15 years of experience had high knowledge) and postgraduate study (p < 0.05), which 78.2% of HCPs without postgraduate studies had a low knowledge level. An association was obtained between knowledge level and attitude towards the use of computerized interaction checker (25% and 66.7% of respondents with high knowledge level had agreed and strongly agreed, respectively, to use computerized interaction checker, p < 0.05). Respondents with high knowledge level had agreed (33%) and strongly agreed (33%) to practice screening of DDIs at admission, p < 0.05. ConclusionPrescribers may have insufficient knowledge to avoid potential life-threatening DDIs. These findings affirm the necessity of well-designed computerized alerting systems, in addition to highlighting on pharmacists’ role as the competent source of drug information.