BackgroundPackage inserts (PIs) as a reliable reference for patients and health care providers should provide accurate, complete and up-to-date information. The purpose of the current study is to assess and compare the PIs of antihypertensive agents locally produced in Palestine and their imported counterparts.MethodsThirty-five PIs were assessed for the presence of 31 information statements using a scoring method. Word counting of 20 headings and subheadings was used to evaluate and compare local and imported PIs for information quantity.ResultsNone of the analysed PIs fulfilled the criteria. All of them included the brand name, active ingredients, indications, directions for use, adverse drug reactions, drug–drug interactions, pregnancy and lactation considerations, and storage. Whereas none of them, either local or imported PIs, included the shelf life and instructions to convert tablets or capsules into liquid forms. Additionally, only one (5%) imported and no (0%) local PIs mentioned the duration of therapy. Moreover, 93.4% of local PIs were deficient in areas regarding the inactive ingredients and date of last revision, and 86.7% did not mention the drug dose and possibility of tablet splitting. Furthermore, the maximum dose was not indicated in 90% of imported and 86.7% of local PIs. In general, imported PIs contained more detailed information than their local counterparts, where the range of differences in medians between the local and imported PIs was from 1.5-fold for pregnancy considerations to >42.00-fold for the effect on the ability to drive and use machines.ConclusionsThe findings of this study revealed the superiority of imported over local PIs in both quality and quantity of information provided. This emphasises the need for appropriate measures to be taken by the Ministry of Health and local manufacturers to ensure efficiency of local PIs in providing accurate, complete and up-to-date information.

Background Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is one of the most common antipyretic and analgesic over-the-counter (OTC) medicines administered to children due to its efficacy, safety, and availability in many pharmaceutical forms, including suppositories, syrup, and drops. Parents frequently administer the wrong dose of paracetamol by mistake for their children, as reported by many previous studies. We aimed in this study to assess parents’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding paracetamol dosing and toxicity, as well as their awareness regarding paracetamol-containing products. Methods This was a cross-sectional study that targeted parents of children seeking healthcare services at primary health care centers in the Nablus area in the West Bank, Palestine. We used questionnaire-based interviews with parents for data collection. Results A total of 300 parents were included in the study. Most of the caregivers surveyed were (87%) females (mothers). About half the parents (50.9%) reported previously using paracetamol as an antipyretic in children under the age of six. A quarter (25.4%) preferred the syrup forms, while 33.8% preferred the suppository dosage form. Medical personnel was the primary source of information for half the caregivers (51.2%). The mean knowledge score about paracetamol was 2.1 (SD = 1.4) out of 6, and the median was 2.0 with an interquartile range of 1.0–3.0. Two hundred seventy-four (95.5%) of the participants scored less than 80% and were considered to have insufficient knowledge. Only 50.9% of parents recognized that paracetamol overdose could result in serious harm. Conclusions We found a serious lack of knowledge regarding paracetamol dosing, administration, and potential toxicity among Palestinian parents. We recommend raising awareness regarding this problem among healthcare providers and authorities and working on plans that aim to provide caregivers with accurate and adequate information on dosing, formulation, side effects, and other aspects of paracetamol use, as well as developing effective educational plans targeting healthcare providers, as well as the public.

Background Osteoarthritis is one of the most common musculoskeletal problems. Pain is the most common complaint and the most significant cause of decreased health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among osteoarthritic patients. The objectives of this study were to assess the impact of pain on quality of life among patients with osteoarthritis and to assess the association of sociodemographic and clinical factors with HRQOL. Methods Using a cross-sectional study design, we collected data from osteoarthritis patients in orthopedic outpatient clinics from four hospitals in the Palestine-West bank between November 2020 and March 2021. We used the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) scale to assess pain and the Quality of Life scale five dimensions (EQ-5D) with the visual analog scale of the European Quality of Life (EQ-VAS) to assess HRQOL. Results In our study, 196 patients composed the final sample, with an average of 60.12 ± 13.63 years. The medians for the EQ-5D score and EQ-VAS score were 0.72 (0.508–0.796) and 70 (55–85), respectively. The pain severity score was found to have a significant negative association with both the EQ-5D and EQ-VAS scores with r of − 0.620, p <  0.001, and − 0.554, p <  0.001, respectively. Similar associations were found between pain interference score and both EQ-5D (r = − 0.822, p <  0.001) and EQ-VAS scores (r = − 0.609, p <  0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that participants with higher educational level (p = 0.028), less diseased joints (p = 0.01), shorter duration of disease (p = 0.04), and lesser pain severity and interference scores (both with p < 0.001) had significantly higher HRQOL scores. Conclusions We found that many variables have a significant negative impact on HRQOL among patients with osteoarthritis. Our finding provides a well-founded database to use by clinicians and healthcare professionals who work with patients with osteoarthritis, as well as educational and academic institutions.

Objectives: Coronavirus illness (COVID-19) has been found to alter infected people’s sense of smell and taste. However, the pathobiology of this virus is not yet known. Therefore, it is critical to investigate the influence of COVID-19 infection on olfactory and gustatory processes. Therefore, we use bibliometric analysis on COVID-19 and olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction publications to provide studies perspective. Methods: A bibliometric literature search was performed in the Scopus database. The number and type of publications, countries for publications, institutional sources for publications, journals for publications, citation patterns, and funding agencies were analyzed using Microsoft Excel or VOSviewer. In addition, the VOSviewer 1.6.17 software was used to analyze and visualize hotspots and collaboration patterns between countries. Results: Scopus has published 187 088 documents for COVID-19 in all study fields at the time of data collection (July 26, 2021). A total of 1740 documents related to olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction were recovered. The countries most relevant by the number of publications were the United States (n = 362, 20.80%), Italy (n = 255, 14.66%), and the United Kingdom (n = 173, 9.94%). By analyzing the terms in the titles and abstracts, we identified 2 clusters related to olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction research, which are “diagnosis and test methods” and “prognosis and complications of the disease.” Conclusions: This is the first bibliometric analysis of publications related to COVID-19 and olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction. This study provides academics and researchers with useful information on the publishing patterns of the most influential publications on COVID-19 and olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction. Olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction as indices of suspicion for the empirical diagnosis of coronavirus infection is a new hotspot in this field.