Evaluation of Knowledge and Practice of Pharmacy Professionals regarding the Risk of Medication Use during Pregnancy in Dessie Town, Northeast Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background. The developing organism is unique in its responsiveness to drugs and predictability of therapeutic effectiveness based on the adult which can lead to grave consequences in the neonate and child. Moreover, uncertainty about the risks of drug use in pregnancy could result in restrictive attitudes towards prescribing and dispensing medicines and their use. Pharmacists have huge duties to improve medication use, especially among pregnant women. The objective of this study is, hence, to assess the knowledge and practice of pharmacy professionals (PPs) towards the risk of medication use during pregnancy. Methodology. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was carried out over practicing community and hospital pharmacy professionals in Dessie town. They were asked about the safety of common drugs during pregnancy. It involves both prescription-only medications (POM) and over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Secondly, they were asked about their practice towards the risk of medication use during pregnancy. Both descriptive and analytical statistics were utilized. For descriptive analysis, results were expressed as numbers, percentages, and mean (± SD and 95% CI). Result. Seventy-six pharmacy professionals in Dessie, Northeast Ethiopia, took part in the study. Most of the respondents (64.5%) believed that amoxicillin is safe in all trimesters. 26 (34.2%) of participants knew that isotretinoin is unsafe for use by pregnant women. About dietary supplements, 32.9% of PPs reported that Vitamin A supplements are safe in all trimesters. There was a significant difference observed for study college and years of experience of the PPs in their score of knowledge test (p=0.020 and p=0.024, respectively). Additionally, there was a difference seen for gender (p=0.030), study college (p=0.036), and working institution (p=0.013) in their advice to pregnant women. Conclusion and Recommendation. Overall, PPs exhibited very low knowledge about drug safety during pregnancy. The absence of obligatory continuing pharmacy education for pharmacists is expected to have negatively affected the level of medication knowledge and consequently the pharmaceutical care services delivered in community and hospital pharmacies. As medication knowledge of PPs is poor, a multitude of strategies (educational, economic, managerial, and regulatory) should be designed by the government, universities, and pharmaceutical associations to improve the pharmacy professionals’ role in the healthcare system by providing them with continuous and up-to-date medication knowledge.

<p>Proper Counseling and Dispensing of Isotretinoin Capsule Products by Community Pharmacists in UAE: A Simulated Patient Study</p>

“…A review of the published literature showed that a small number of studies were carried out worldwide to evaluate the community pharmacist's competencies toward isotretinoin prescriptions. 29,30 In UAE, during the SP visits, most of the pharmacists dispensed the medicine without a complete assessment of the patient`s eligibility for safe use. Systematic patient information was obtained by only 3% of the pharmacists which may lead to unacceptable health risk consequences to female patients.…”

“…In one study only 26 pharmacists out of 76 reported the contraindicated use of isotretinoin during pregnancy. 30 Moreover, it was shown that community pharmacists who did not properly assess female patients, were not aware of the potential risk of teratogenicity associated with the medicine. 29 Poor recognition and assessment of the patient`s safety were observed in our study as only 32% of the pharmacists asked about the medicines or supplements that were to be used with isotretinoin.…”

Uso do metotrexato como preditor para malformações fetais

“…Além disso, o organismo em desenvolvimento é único em sua capacidade de resposta aos fármacos e previsibilidade de eficácia terapêutica baseada no adulto. Nesse sentido, a gestante está expondo a si mesma, ao recém-nascido e a criança a diversos efeitos toxicológicos provocados pelo fármaco (Tuha et al, 2019).…”

Pharmacists’ Knowledge and Practice of Issues Related to Using Psychotropic Medication in Elderly People in Ethiopia: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study

“…Thus, to provide good healthcare services, pharmacists are expecting to have commitment, ethics, adequate knowledge, attitude, and skills of medication [22]. However, different studies have shown that pharmacists have low knowledge and practice related to medication use, including psychotropic medication, particularly in elderly patients [23,24]. As in other developing countries, pharmacy practice in Ethiopia is evolving rapidly; however, there is a lack of empirical evidence about pharmacists' knowledge, practice, and experience of medication use [25].…”

“…As in other developing countries, pharmacy practice in Ethiopia is evolving rapidly; however, there is a lack of empirical evidence about pharmacists' knowledge, practice, and experience of medication use [25]. In Ethiopia, nearly half of the pharmacists had an unfavorable attitude toward pharmaceutical care [24]. Thus, research is required to determine the magnitude of pharmacist knowledge and practice regarding psychotropic medication usage in the elderly.…”