Systematic review of the safety of medication use in inpatient, outpatient and primary care settings in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries

Background Errors in medication use are a patient safety concern globally, with different regions reporting differing error rates, causes of errors and proposed solutions. The objectives of this review were to identify, summarise, review and evaluate published studies on medication errors, drug related problems and adverse drug events in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Methods A systematic review was carried out using six databases, searching for literature published between January 1990 and August 2016. Research articles focussing on medication errors, drug related problems or adverse drug events within different healthcare settings in the GCC were included. Results Of 2094 records screened, 54 studies met our inclusion criteria. Kuwait was the only GCC country with no studies included. Prescribing errors were reported to be as high as 91% of a sample of primary care prescriptions analysed in one study. Of drug-related admissions evaluated in the emergency department the most common reason was patient non-compliance. In the inpatient care setting, a study of review of patient charts and medication orders identified prescribing errors in 7% of medication orders, another reported prescribing errors present in 56% of medication orders. The majority of drug related problems identified in inpatient paediatric wards were judged to be preventable. Adverse drug events were reported to occur in 8.5–16.9 per 100 admissions with up to 30% judged preventable, with occurrence being highest in the intensive care unit. Dosing errors were common in inpatient, outpatient and primary care settings. Omission of the administered dose as well as omission of prescribed medication at medication reconciliation were common. Studies of pharmacists’ interventions in clinical practice reported a varying level of acceptance, ranging from 53% to 98% of pharmacists’ recommendations. Conclusions Studies of medication errors, drug related problems and adverse drug events are increasing in the GCC. However, variation in methods, definitions and denominators preclude calculation of an overall error rate. Research with more robust methodologies and longer follow up periods is now required.Peer reviewe

Foot care practices of diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia

Diabetic foot is a serious complication that causes lower extremity amputations. The aim of this study was to identify the patient’s awareness about risk factors for diabetic foot disease and to explore the knowledge and foot care practices among diabetic patients in a Saudi population. This cross-sectional study was conducted in King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), King Fahad Medical City, National Guard Hospital, Military Hospital, and Prince Salman Hospital capital city of Saudi Arabia. Patients were eligible if they had diabetes foot disease, signed the consent form, and completed the questionnaire. We selected 350 patients from different hospitals between November-2011 and April-2012. The majority of patients (68%) were selected from King Saud University hospitals. The mean age of patients was 50.87 ± 15.9 years with a range of 20–90 years. The majority of patients were male (64.3%) and had a family history of hypertension (55.4%), high total cholesterol (58.6%), and other diabetes (58.9%). A family history of smoking, a major risk factor for diabetic foot, was found in 20.3% of cases. Sixty percent of the patients were using oral medications, 27.1% were using insulin therapy, 10% were using both oral and insulin therapies, and 10% were on diet. In our study, 19.4% of participants were illiterate while 80.6% had a high school or university level education. Our findings also revealed that some patients had a lack of knowledge concerning diabetic foot disease and future complications. Patients are unaware of the risk factors for diabetes foot and practice poor foot care. Awareness programs should be mandatory in all hospitals and diabetes clinics to help compensate for the lack of awareness and lack of podiatric educational services. Such programs may decrease the risk of diabetes foot disease

Saudi female school teachers’ knowledge and opinion related to physical exercise for school children

The study explores possible barriers behind physical inactivity in female students. The method of the research is cross-sectional quantitative study. The findings based on assessing female teachers’ level of knowledge about physical exercise for girls through distributing a questionnaire to female teachers of Al-Abna’a Schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The results show that the majority of the participants believe that physical exercise is important for children and girls should attend physical exercise classes in school. However, teachers’ levels of knowledge regarding physical exercise recommendation for children are low. Some of the barriers of regular physical exercise in children are lack of social and parental support, children’s low interest in physical exercise, and lack of sports facilities suitable for young girls

Potentially inappropriate medications prescribed for elderly patients through family physicians

The elderly population is increasing throughout the globe, resulting in higher healthcare costs. Potential inappropriate medication (PIM) prescriptions are a major health problem affecting the elderly persons. Due to limited studies in PIM use in primary care and home healthcare in Saudi Arabia, we aim to examine the extent of PIM prescription for and use by elderly patients. This study was carried out with 798 elderly patients, arbitrarily selected from Prince Sultan Medical Military City through the patient register. The mean age of the patients were in the range of 75.2 ± 5.5; 37.8% were males and 62.2% were females. The elderly patients are affected majorly with diabetes (73.9%), hypertension (83.2%) and lipid abnormalities (73.8%). The maximum patients involved in this study were affected with lower hemoglobin levels i.e. 99.2%. Renal impairment was found in 64% and iron supplements were the most commonly used in 23.1%, followed by analgesics and opioids (17%). The 52.5% of participants were using one or more PIMs. Kidney was the only functions and had influence on prescribed decisions. This study indicates PIM is a concern in elderly patients attending clinics and home residents and commonly prescribed ones are atypical antipsychotics, iron overdose, benzodiazepines and opioids. Prescription of drug–drug interactions, cascades and inappropriate drug doses results in preventable adverse effects