Assessing the Knowledge of Analgesic Drugs Utilization during Pregnancy among Women in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Pain is a common compensation mechanism in pregnant women that they may face during gestation due to physiological changes. Paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the most administered analgesic drugs worldwide. Therefore, safety and efficacy are important measures for the use of analgesics during pregnancy. Objective: Assess the knowledge of analgesic drug utilization among Saudi pregnant women. Method: We conducted a self-administered survey with an electronic questionnaire via Google Drive among a sample of 406 Saudi women. Results: About half of the respondents took analgesics during the first trimester, and 52.5% of women have used analgesics at least once without any medical advice during their gestation. Most participants agreed that paracetamol is the safest and effective analgesic drug during pregnancy, yet 61.8% of women are not aware that analgesics could be detrimental to the fetus if inappropriately administered in the third trimester. Conclusion: Participants have a good perception of the safest and most effective analgesic drug during pregnancy, but they have poor knowledge about analgesics’ side effects.

Assessment of Saudi Women’s Adherence and Experience with Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis after Cesarean Section Delivery Using Telemedicine Technology

“…Some questions were adopted from a previous study and modified according to the particular Saudi environment [ 13 ]. The questionnaire was confirmed for its face and content validity by experts in the field of pharmacy practice at King Faisal University, who have experience in questionnaire development [ 17 , 18 ] and adjusted after a pilot study conducted on 10 participants. The questionnaire is composed of three main parts.…”