Beliefs, practices and knowledge of community pharmacists regarding complementary and alternative medicine: national cross-sectional study in Lebanon

Abstract

IntroductionPharmacists are uniquely positioned to provide patients with evidence-based information in order to ensure effective and safe use of Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) products.ObjectiveAssess beliefs, practices and knowledge related to CAM products among community pharmacists in Lebanon.Design, methods and settingUsing stratified random sampling, a nationally representative survey was conducted among community pharmacists in Lebanon. Through face-to-face interviews, pharmacists completed a multicomponent questionnaire consisting of four sections: (1) sociodemographic characteristics; (2) beliefs related to regulation of CAM products, role of media in promoting their safe use, availability of resources and continuing education; (3) practices including selling CAM products, providing advice for patients and reporting adverse effects and (4) knowledge about specific CAM products, their uses, side effects and interactions.ResultsA total of 341 pharmacists agreed to participate (response rate: 86%). Only pharmacists with complete data were included in this study (n=310). Pharmacists agreed that CAM products are effective (63.8%) and that they should be exclusively sold in pharmacies (80.3%), but disagreed that commercially marketed CAM products are well regulated (63.5%) and that media plays a positive role in educating users about these products (55.8%). As for practices, 64.5% of pharmacists were always or often advising patients on safe use; however, 74.2% of participants rarely or never reported adverse effects. Regarding knowledge, although the majority of pharmacists were aware of the uses of CAM products, fewer knew about their side effects and their interactions with drugs. After adjustment for covariates, receiving education/training on CAM products during university was the sole predictor of higher knowledge score (ß=0.68, 95% CI 0.29 to 1.07).ConclusionsThis study revealed positive beliefs of pharmacists in Lebanon towards CAM products and indicated important gaps in their practice and knowledge. Deliberate efforts to enhance the education of pharmacists are warranted to ensure the safe integration and use of CAM products in Lebanon.

Effect of an Educational Intervention about Herbal Medicine on the Knowledge of Physicians and Pharmacists

“…This is similar to the findings of a study in Trinidad and Tobago, where 84% of doctors and 83% of pharmacists indicated that HCPs should receive more formal teaching about CAM [19]. The researchers in Lebanon, found that most pharmacists requested that continuing education programmes on CAM, be made compulsory to ensure the safe and efficacious use of herbal medicines [22].…”

“…There was a lack of knowledge noted for the side effects, contraindications, and drug interactions for most of the bush/herbs. Similar findings were encountered for pharmacists in Palestine [21] where more than half of the participants did not know side effects, contraindications and herbaldrug interactions; and in Lebanon, where although pharmacists knew about the uses of products such as echinacea and ginkgo biloba, their knowledge of the side effects and drug interactions was poor [22]. Clement et al, also reported similar results for the physicians in Trinidad [15].…”

Attitudes, Knowledge and Practice of Herbal Remedy Use among the Population Visiting Pharmacies and Health Care Providers in Alexandria, Egypt: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…In addition, the study showed a deficit in information among HCPs regarding herb-drug interactions. Knowledge deficiencies found in this study were also reported by many studies in the Arab region, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Lebanon, as well as in the United States [26,28,29]. A possible reason for HCP's missing answers is because participants were hesitant to answer them, as they did not know the correct answers [28][29][30].…”

Knowledge, attitudes, and practice of community pharmacists towards providing counseling on vitamins, and nutritional supplements in Saudi Arabia

“…The last few decades have been characterized by increased recognition of the role that community pharmacists play in patient care [1] . A study by Quasim and Bayunus [2] revealed that community pharmacists received visits from patients 35 times a year compared to the four times a year a primary care physician was visited.…”

“…A study by Quasim and Bayunus [2] revealed that community pharmacists received visits from patients 35 times a year compared to the four times a year a primary care physician was visited. While the general medical practitioners have traditionally been recognized as the gatekeepers of primary care, studies show that community pharmacists receive an estimated 12 to 15 consultations each year [1] . Community pharmacists are strategically positioned to play a central role in care delivery; moreover, Kayyali [3] pointed out that community pharmacists are the largest and most accessible healthcare professional since they are located at the frontline of care delivery.…”