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

Abstract

Purpose. This study is aimed at assessing pharmacists’ knowledge and practice of issue related to usage of psychotropic medications in elderly people, in Gondar town Northwest, Ethiopia. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacists working in community, health center, and hospital pharmacies in Gondar town from March 1 to May 30, 2020. A total of 73 medication retail outlets (40 pharmacies and 33 drug stores) were included in this study. Pharmacy personnel’s knowledge and practice were assessed using self-administered validated questionnaires. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between different variables. P<0.05 was used to declare the association. Result. A total of 144 pharmacists were included in the study; the mean age was 30.13 (SD ±5.87), ranging from 20 to 55years. The mean knowledge score was 7.789 (SD ±2.98), and 75 (52.1%) of them had poor knowledge. The mean practice score was 2.32±0.912 (mean±SD), and 77 (53.5%) of the respondents had poor practice. All participants had not taken on-the-job training about psychotropic medication. Work experience (P<0.029) and personal monthly income (P<0.046) were significantly associated with pharmacists’ knowledge. There was a significant association between work experience and practice level (P<0.043). Conclusion. The knowledge and practice of pharmacy personnel were low for issues related to the use of psychotropic medication in the elderly. This result indicates the need for training for pharmacists on pharmacotherapy of psychotropic medication.

Prevalence of Polypharmacy and Risks of Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in the Older Population in a Developing Country: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The United Nations population division estimated that the population aged 65 years and above accounted for 3.5% of Ethiopia's total population in 2019 [24], and this proportion is expected to increase to 3.8% by 2050. Already several studies conducted on the older population in Ethiopia reported a higher occurrence of falls [25,26], depression [27], hypertension [28], higher eye care service utilization [29], patterns of extensive psychotic medications use [30], polypharmacy, and PIM use [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]. On the other hand, deprescribing strategies [23] and emphasis on the importance of medication safety and medication-related quality of life have also been described [39].…”

A Comparison of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) Between Private- and Government-Sector Pharmacists With Regard to Psychotropic Medications in Riyadh City

“…Our finding is consistent with the results of a cross-sectional study conducted in Ethiopia regarding pharmacists’ knowledge and practice of issues related to the use of psychotropic medications in the elderly. More than half of the pharmacists in the study had limited knowledge of such medications [ 16 ]. Another study conducted in Palestine regarding pharmacists’ knowledge of women’s issues with epilepsy indicated that pharmacists had poor knowledge regarding psychotropic medications [ 17 ].…”

“…This study revealed that those with more than five years of work experience and a postgraduate qualification had higher mean practice scores than those with less than five years of work experience and only a diploma qualification [ 27 ]. Another study revealed that pharmacists who had five years of experience or more had a better level of knowledge and practice on issues related to using psychotropic medication in elderly people in Ethiopia [ 16 ]. Furthermore, a study on pharmacists’ knowledge of women’s issues with epilepsy revealed no significant associations with age, degree, number of years in practice, or receiving training on epilepsy and AEDs during their degree program [ 28 ].…”

Prevalence and Prescribers’ Knowledge of Psychotropic Polypharmacy in the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regions, Ghana

“…3 The knowledge of the prescriber and pharmacy workers is very important because it influences the prescriptions given (pattern) by a prescriber. 17 The study sampled 58 prescribers, 36 (62.1%) are RMN, 21(36.2%) CMHO, and 1(1.7%) other health practitioners. In the assessment of the knowledge of prescribers on the meaning of polypharmacy, 65.5% of prescribers disagreed that prescribing only one drug to the client was polypharmacy.…”

“…18 A study indicated that most nurses do have the ability to assess the side effects of psychotropic medications, hence are capable of doing so relative to psychotropics poly-pharmacy. 17 Prescribers were rated to ascertain their overall knowledge of psychotropic polypharmacy based on their score in answering the 11 questions which were measured knowledge-based on responses.…”