Prescribing potentially inappropriate medications is common among older adults receiving home health care services in Qatar, a finding that warrants further attention. Polypharmacy, hypertension, depression and dementia were significantly associated with potentially inappropriate prescribing.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic affecting many countries worldwide. Given the increasing incidence especially in elderly and individuals with comorbid conditions, it is advised by health authorities to stay home if possible, maintain social distancing and stay away from those who are sick or could be infected. Patients with comorbidities especially cardiovascular disease are at higher risk of getting infected with COVID-19 and have worse prognosis. Among efforts to safely manage warfarin patients during this pandemic, we introduced a hospital drive-up anticoagulation testing service. This service can reduce the risk of exposure of anticoagulation patients to COVID-19 by reducing the contact time with the different personnel at the hospital and by maintaining those patients at a safe distance from others Keywords Anticoagulation • Drive-up service • Warfarin • COVID-19 Highlights • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic that has been spreading rapidly worldwide. • Patients on oral anticoagulation and especially warfarin are typically elderly and have multiple comorbidities which put them at higher risk of getting infected with COVID-19 with poorer prognosis. • Anticoagulation drive-up service is one of the efforts of healthcare providers to reduce the risk of exposure of anticoagulation patients to COVID-19 by reducing the contact time with the different personnel at the hospital and by maintaining those patients at a safe distance from others.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has resulted in unprecedented pressure on healthcare systems and led to widespread utilization of telemedicine or telehealth services. Combined with teleclinics, using drive‐up fingerstick International normalized ratio (INR) testing was recommended to decrease exposure risk of anticoagulation patients. Objective To evaluate the impact of transitioning from clinic‐based anticoagulation management services to drive‐up and phone‐based services during COVID‐19 pandemic in Qatar. Methods The study comprised of two components: a retrospective cohort study of all eligible patients who attended anticoagulation clinic over 1‐year period (6 months before and 6 months after service transition) and a cross‐sectional survey of eligible patients who agreed to provide data about their satisfaction with the new service. Monitoring parameters, clinical outcomes, and resource utilization related to warfarin therapy were compared before and after service transition. Patients' experience was explored through a structured survey. Results There was no statistically significant difference between clinic‐based and phone‐based anticoagulation services in mean time and number of visits within therapeutic range (P = .67; P = .06 respectively); mean number of extreme subtherapeutic and supratherapeutic INR values (P = .32 and P = .34, respectively); incidence of thromboembolic complications and warfarin related hospitalization. There was one reported bleeding and one emergency visit (0.9%) in the phone‐based group vs none in the clinic‐based group. Frequency of INR testing and compliance to attending clinics appointments declined significantly (P = .002; P = .001, respectively). Overall, patients were highly satisfied with the new service. The majority of patients found it better (51.6%) or just as good as the traditional service (44.5%). Patients who preferred the new service were significantly younger than their counterparts (P = .005). Conclusion The service of drive‐up INR testing and phone‐based consultations was shown to be comparable to traditional anticoagulation service, a finding that supports maintaining such services as part of the new normal after the pandemic is over.

Background Pharmacists’ roles and responsibilities have expanded in the modern pharmacy profession, and the expectations from pharmacists have increased. This has been associated with new psychological challenges and emotional stress that can induce burnout. Objective To determine the prevalence of burnout syndrome and factors associated with burnout among pharmacy professionals in the healthcare system in Qatar. Methods This institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 850 pharmacy professionals within Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in Qatar. Convenience sampling was followed. The survey utilized the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) Toolkit™ for Medical Personnel and a modified version of the Astudillo and Mendinueta questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata version 16 for Windows and SAS Studio 3.8 (Enterprise Edition). P-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results One hundred ninety-four pharmacy professionals (23%) responded to the survey. The prevalence of burnout was 19.7% [95% Confidence interval (CI); 13.8% - 26.8%] among 142 respondents who completed MBI questionnaire and 17.3% [95% CI; 11.7%-24.2%] among 139 respondents who completed Astudillo Mendinueta questionnaire. The most commonly reported factors that may lead to burnout were: tension and lack of organization in teamwork (59.6%), lack of recognition of or indifference to effort from patients, superiors, and colleagues (58.2%), and demanding and challenging patients and family members (56.7%). Multiple regression analysis showed that overtime working hours per month is independently associated with a higher risk of burnout [odds ratio (OR), 1.57; 95% CI, 1.15–2.14 for each 10-hours increase in monthly overtime, P = 0.005], while non-Arab ethnicity is associated with lower risk of burnout [OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.1–0.75; P = 0.012]. Conclusions There is a relatively low prevalence of burnout syndrome among health-system pharmacy professionals in Qatar. Overtime working hours and Arab ethnicity are independently associated with burnout.