Background: The 2019 Coronavirus infection (COVID-19) caused by a novel strain of coronavirus was detected in China in December 2019, and declared a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020. Community pharmacists have an important role in supporting the local health emergency preparedness and response arrangements. Objectives: To investigate pharmacists and pharmacy students' awareness and source of their information regard the management of the coronavirus pandemic, and their perspective of their role during this emergent situation. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional online survey study was conducted in Jordan during the COVID-19 outbreak (from 15 to 30 March 2020). A validated online questionnaire addressing participants' current awareness about epidemics/pandemics and COVID-19, source of information and their perspectives of their role. Data were analyzed using statistical package for social science (SPSS). Results: Participants (n = 726) had a mean age of 26.9 (8.0) years with 71.9% females. Pharmacy students made 35.3% of the sample while the rest were pharmacists. Only 54.3% of participants believed that they got enough education about epidemics/pandemics, and 94.6% of them follow on the latest coronavirus updates on treatments, and that is mainly from the media (59.5%) followed by the World Health Organization reports (58.7%) and then the published researches (57%). Awareness score (out of 20) of pharmacists (n = 470) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than that of students (n = 256). Better Awareness scores were also associated with higher age of participants, graduating from a public versus a private university, and attending more educational workshops. Conclusion: The majority of pharmacists and pharmacy students reported that they have a major role in the management of epidemics/pandemics through the community pharmacies but the majority follow on the latest coronavirus updates from the media. This fact rings bills considering the numerous conflicting messages publicized during the pandemic through the media. the World Health Organization (WHO) and CDC declared the coronavirus infectious disease (coronavirus disease 2019, termed COVID-19) 2,3 as a pandemic caused by a newly discovered coronavirus strain named 'severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2' or SARS CoV-2, colloquially referred to as COVID-19. 2,3 Coronavirus (COVID-19) belong to a family of RNA-viruses which take humans and mammals as formal hosts to live and replicate. 4 COVID-19 has been reported as an extraordinarily contagious virus. 5 People who get infected with this virus experience mild to moderate

Overall, home-based medication review for patients with chronic conditions decreased the total number of TRPs and improved patient self-reported adherence.

Qatar community pharmacists have positive attitudes toward smoking cessation counseling. These attitudes need to be translated into action. Interventions should be implemented to overcome perceived barriers and to improve smoking cessation activities among pharmacists.

Rationale, aims, and objectives: Clinical pharmacy services are vital in the prevention of adverse drug events (ADEs) in clinical practice, extending beyond the hospital to chronic disease management in outpatient settings. This study sought to evaluate the cost benefit of a clinical pharmacy intervention in resolving treatment-related problems (TRPs) among hospital outpatients with chronic diseases.Methods: From the hospital system perspective, the cost-benefit analysis was based on a randomized clinical trial in the general outpatients of the major hospital in Jordan. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to either an intervention or a control group. TRPs were identified in both study groups, but interventions were delivered only to the intervention group via a home medication management review (HMMR) by a clinical pharmacist. A follow-up in both groups took place 3 months after recruitment. The total economic benefit was the sum of (a) cost savings due to intervention and (b) cost avoidance associated with preventable ADEs. The primary outcome measures were the net benefit and benefit-to-cost ratio with the clinical pharmacist-based HMMR. Results:In both groups, 158 TRPs were identified, and 79 interventions were provided in the study group. The monthly cost of intervention was JD764 (US $1078), and the total monthly benefit was JD4570 (US $6444), leading to a benefit-to-cost ratio of 5.98 and an annual net benefit of JD45 669 (US $64 393). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of results. Conclusion:The RCT-based cost-benefit evaluation provided evidence-based insight into the economic benefit of a clinical pharmacist-provided HMMR for preventing ADEs in the general chronic diseases outpatients. This intervention method against the TRPs among outpatients is cost beneficial and offers substantial cost savings to the health care hospital payer in Jordan.

Background Many people are used to administering their drugs with food, beverages or herbs. These substances may contain chemicals that interfere with the prescribed drugs and could potentially lead to changes in their efficacy or safety, and could result in alterations in their pharmacokinetic properties. Objective To assess the extent of the perception and consumption of food, beverages and herbs alongside conventional drugs, along with their potential interactions, specifically in Jordanian society. Methods A descriptive cross‐sectional survey was conducted in Jordan (20 April ‐ 5 May 2020). The survey was developed using Google Forms, then validated and distributed via social media platforms. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences‐24. Main outcome measure Use and perception of food, beverages, herbs and how they interact with drugs among Jordanians. Results Of all the participants (n = 789), 77.8% were females, 46.2% were 50‐year‐olds, 69.7% were married, 70.8% were medically insured, and 51.1% had bachelor's degrees. 70% of the study participants reported use of medicinal plants. About 66% of participants agreed that medicinal plants or herbs could treat diseases and 58.6% thought that medications could interact with drugs. In general, the participants’ knowledge about food/beverage/herb–drug interactions was considered poor. However, a linear regression analysis showed that the level of knowledge was significantly affected (P < .05) by gender, marital status, social status, educational level and employment sector. Conclusion Jordanians have a positive perception towards herbs and their ability to treat diseases. However, their knowledge about food/beverage–drug interactions was poor. There is therefore a need to enhance the community awareness of food/beverage/herb–drug interactions.