Medication errors in a health care facility in southern Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To identify medication errors at Aseer Central Hospital (ACH, Abha) in the southern province of Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted by reviewing adult patients’ records (> 15 years old) at ACH’s inpatient and outpatients settings over an 8-week period in October and November 2015. Results: We identified 113 medication errors, including 112 prescribing errors and 1 dispensing error. Most medication errors (91.2 %) in this study were for inpatient prescriptions. The most common prescribing error was medication duplication (31.2 %) followed by missing patient identifying information (25 %). Conclusion: Medication errors, mainly in inpatient prescriptions, have been fully identified at ACH. Educational interventions such as workshops could help minimize and prevent medication errors

Actitud hacia la práctica profesional entre los farmacéuticos comunitarios en Kuala Lumpur, Malasia

Objetivos: Este estudio se dirigió a evaluar las actitudes de los farmacéuticos comunitarios hacia la práctica profesional y determinar su competencia observada en diversas actividades farmacéuticas. Métodos: estudio transversal realizado en la ciudad de Kuala Lumpur. El cuestionario contenía 40 preguntas divididas en seis secciones que abordaban varios aspectos de la práctica y la información demográfica. En el estudio participaron 223 farmacéuticos con licencia que trabajan en farmacias comunitarias. Los datos se analizaron utilizando SPSS. Se utilizaron pruebas de correlación de Chi-cuadrado y Pearson para determinar la significación estadística de los datos dicotómicos. Hallazgos clave: Entre los 233 encuestados en actividades de gestión, 194 (87%) obtuvieron una puntuación buena y 5 (2,2%) obtuvieron una puntuación mala. En las actividades de dispensación, 199 (89,2%) obtuvieron la puntuación buena y 5 (2,2%) obtuvieron la puntuación mala. En las actividades de atención farmacéutica, 209 (93,7%) obtuvieron una buena puntuación y 4 (1,8%) obtuvieron una mala puntuación. En actividades inter / intraprofesionales, 108 (48,4%) puntuaron bien y 10 (4,5%) puntuaron mal. En las actividades de salud pública, 153 (68,6%) obtuvieron la puntuación buena y 6 (2,7%) obtuvieron la puntuación mala, mientras que en las actividades de mantenimiento de competencias, 160 (71,7%) obtuvieron la puntuación buena y 3 (1,3%) obtuvieron el puntaje pobre. Conclusiones: La mayor parte de los participantes obtuvo una buena actitud fue del 93,7% para las actividades de atención farmacéutica mientras que la mayor de los participantes obtuvo una mala actitud fue del 4,5% para las actividades inter / intraprofesionales. La mayoría de los participantes aceptan las actividades para mantener la competenciaObjectives: This study was directed to evaluate community pharmacists’ attitudes towards professional practice and determine their observed competence in various pharmaceutical activities. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in the city of Kuala Lumpur. The questionnaire contained 40 questions splitted into six sections that addressed several aspects of practice and demographic information. The study was involved in 223 licensed pharmacists who work in community pharmacies. Data were analyzed by using SPSS. Chisquare and Pearson’s correlation tests were used for statistical significance for dichotomous data. Key findings: Among the 233 respondents in managerial activities, 194 (87%) achieved the score good, and 5 (2.2%) had the score poor. In dispensing activities, 199 (89.2%) achieved the score good, and 5 (2.2%) had the score poor. In pharmaceutical care activities, 209 (93.7%) got the score good, and 4 (1.8%) got the score poor. In inter/intra professional activities, 108 (48.4%) got the score good, and 10 (4.5%) got the score poor. In public health activities, 153 (68.6%) got the score good, and 6 (2.7%) got the score poor whereas in the maintenance of competency activities, 160 (71.7%) got the score good, and 3 (1.3%) got the score poor. Conclusions: The highest of participants got a good attitude was 93.7% for pharmaceutical care activities while the highest of participants got poor attitude was 4.5% for inter/intra professional activities. The majority of the participants are accepting the activities to maintain competence.This work is supported by UCSI University, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kuala Lumpur Malaysi

El patrón de prescripción de los fármacos antihipertensivos en los pacientes diabéticos de la Provincia del Sur, Reino de Arabia Saudita

Background. Hypertension is extremely prevalent in patients with diabetes. Limited data exist on utilizationpatterns of antihypertensive in this population are consistent with evidence-based practice guidelines.Objective. To evaluate utilization patterns of antihypertensive agents among diabetic patients with hypertension.Design. Retrospective descriptive cross sectional.Patients / Participants. 149 patients with diabetes and hypertension from outpatient department at FamilyMedicine Hospital, Ahaderfieda. Khamis Mushait, K.S.A.Results. Over 43% of patients were receiving calcium channel blockers (CCB), 36.2 % of received angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), followed by angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) (34.9%),diuretics (34.2%) and β -blockers (16.2%). Patients on monotherapy were mostly receiving CCB (34.3%)and ACEI (29.9%). The majority (55.03%) of treated patients were on multidrug regimens. In patientswith coronary artery disease (CAD), a diuretic with ACEI (25%) and calcium channel blocker with angiotensinreceptor blocker (25%) was most commonly prescribed.Conclusions. Patterns of antihypertensive therapy were generally consistent with international guidelines.Areas of improvement include increasing ACEI/ARB and diuretic use, decreasing the number ofuntreated patients, and increasing the proportion of patients with controlled BP in this population.Antecedentes. La hipertensión es muy frecuente en los pacientes con diabetes. Existen datos limitadossobre los patrones de utilización de antihipertensivos en esta población consistentes con las guías depráctica basadas en la evidencia.Objetivo. Evaluar los patrones de utilización de antihipertensivos en los pacientes diabéticos con hipertensión.Diseño. Estudio retrospectivo descriptivo transversalPacientes / Participantes. 149 pacientes con diabetes e hipertensión, del departamento de pacientes ambulatoriosen el Hospital de Medicina Familiar, Ahaderfieda. Khamis Mushait, K.S.A.Resultados. Más del 43% de los pacientes estaban recibiendo bloqueadores del canal de calcio (CCB),el 36,2% recibían inhibidores de la enzima convertidora de angiotensina (IECA), seguido de los bloqueadoresde los receptores de angiotensina (BRA) (34,9%), diuréticos (34,2%) y bloqueadores β (16,2 %).Los pacientes en monoterapia fueron la mayoría recibiendo CCB (34,3%) e IECA (29,9%). La mayoría(55,03%) de los pacientes tratados se encontraban en regímenes de múltiples fármacos. En los pacientes con enfermedad de la arteria coronaria (CAD), se les prescribió con mayor frecuencia diurético con IECA (25%) y bloqueador de canales de calcio con bloqueador del receptor de angiotensina (25%).Conclusiones. Los patrones de utilización de antihipertensivos fueron generalmente consistentes con las directrices internacionales. Las áreas de mejora incluyen el aumento de IECA / ARB y el uso de diuréticos, disminuyendo el número de pacientes no tratados, y el aumento de la proporción de pacientes con PA controlada en esta población

EVALUATION OF MEDICATION COMPLIANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE IN YEMEN

Objective: Non-compliance with heart failure medication is related to the highest mortality, morbidity, and health-care costs. The objective of this study was to evaluate medication compliance with patients with congestive heart failure. Methods:Inpatients of the cardiac care unit and medical ward of Republican Hospital, German Hospital, Revolutionary Hospital, and Chinese–Yemeni Friendship Hospital were recruited for this study. The study was conducted on patients that were diagnosed as having congestive heart failure and were receiving treatment. Questionnaires were distributed and personal interviews to evaluate the patients’ compliance was conducted to determine the reasons for their non-compliance in taking drugs. Results: Of 86 patients, 44% (n = 38) reported compliance and 56% (n = 48) reported non-compliance. The distribution of the patients in terms of sex was as follows: among men, 41% (n = 24) were compliant and 59% (n = 35) were non-compliant; among women, 52% (n = 14) were compliant and 48% (n = 13) were non-compliant. In addition, smoking status was too significantly linked with non-compliance (P = 0.001). Furthermore, the status of chewing of khat tree leaves was also significantly associated with non-compliance (P = 0.007). Conclusion: This study indicates that the reasons for non-compliance with medications among patients can be attributed to lack of education, chewing of khat tree leaves, lack of health insurance, and cigarette smoking. Therefore, healthcare professionals should create strategies to address these reasons in order to increase medication compliance with patients in heart failure

Association between Diabetes Consequences and Quality of Life among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus in the Aseer Province of Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major health-care burden worldwide. AIM: The aim of the study was to explore how the quality of life (QoL) of DM patients could be affected in the Aseer Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). METHODS: A cross-sectional, multicenter study in DM patients of both sexes and all age groups in Aseer Province were done using a validated self-administered questionnaire. The study was conducted between April 1, 2018 and November 25, 2018. RESULTS: A total of 418 patients completed our questionnaire, of which 240 (58%) were male and 178 (42%) were female. Furthermore, 50.23% were married and 104 (24.16%) were illiterate. We found that 403 (96.42%) respondents had type-2 DM and 315 (75.35%) had a family history of DM. In addition, 132 (31.57%) respondents were on monotherapy whereas only 61 (14.59%) were using combination therapy. Hypertension was the most prevalent comorbidity (166, 39.71%) and peripheral neuropathy the most prevalent complication of DM (157, 37.56%). CONCLUSION: DM had a significant impact on QoL among patients from Aseer Province in KSA. Our study underscores the importance of generating data on QoL among DM patients

Evaluación de la prescripción y uso de medicamentos supresores de ácido en hospitales centrales en la región de Abha, Arabia Saudita

Objective: The aim of this study was to study and assess the indications of acid suppressive drugs and to find out percentage of irrational prescriptions with acid suppressive drugs. Material/Methods: It is a prospective observational study conducted in the Armed Forces Hospitals Southern Region and Abha Maternity Hospital, both in Abha in Assir region (Saudi Arabia). The sample size of study was 185 patients. The case sheets of the patients’ prescription order were reviewed for acid suppressive drugs prescription and relevant data was taken. Patients’ age above 18 were identified. The duration of study was 8 weeks, between May and June 2017. Results: Our results showed that the majority of the prescriptions of proton pump inhibitors (68.1%) were unjustifiable and that proton pump inhibitor was the most commonly prescribed acid suppressive drugs for the patients (97.8%). The frequency of prescribing for the autism spectrum disorders in our study was found to be higher in patients with an existing risk factor and was mostly recommended by physicians as concomitant medications (67.6%). The most common concomitant medications used with the proton pump inhibitors were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (29.2%) in which aspirin composed 13.5% of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs prescribed followed by antimicrobials (9.2%). Conclusion: Acid suppressive drugs are the most commonly prescribed drugs with no proper indications hence irrational. Based on the results of this study, creating awareness about reasonable use of acid suppressive drugs is a necessity.Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio fue estudiar y evaluar las indicaciones de los medicamentos supresores de ácidos y averiguar el porcentaje de recetas irracionales con medicamentos supresores de ácidos. Material / Métodos: es un estudio observacional prospectivo realizado en los Hospitales de las Fuerzas Armadas del Sur y en el Hospital de Maternidad Abha, ambos en Abha en la región de Assir (Arabia Saudita). El tamaño muestral del estudio fue de 185 pacientes. Se revisaron las hojas de casos de orden de prescripción de los pacientes para la prescripción de medicamentos supresores de ácido y se tomaron los datos pertinentes. Se identificó la edad de los pacientes mayores de 18 años. La duración del estudio fue de 8 semanas, entre mayo y junio de 2017. Resultados: nuestros resultados mostraron que la mayoría de las prescripciones de inhibidores de la bomba de protones (68,1%) eran injustificables y que este era el fármaco supresor de ácido más comúnmente prescrito para los pacientes (97,8%). La frecuencia de prescripción para los trastornos del espectro autistas en nuestro estudio, fue mayor en pacientes con un factor de riesgo existente y fue recomendada principalmente por los médicos como medicamentos concomitantes (67,6%). Los medicamentos concomitantes más comunes que se usaron con los inhibidores de la bomba de protones fueron los antiinflamatorios no esteroideos (29.2%) en los cuales la aspirina supuso el 13,5% de los antiinflamatorios no esteroideos prescritos, seguidos por los antimicrobianos (9.2%) Conclusión: los medicamentos supresores de ácido son los medicamentos más comúnmente recetados sin indicaciones adecuadas, por lo que son irracionales. Basado en los resultados de este estudio, crear conciencia sobre el uso razonable de los medicamentos supresores del ácido es una necesidad

VALIDATION METHOD FOR MEASURING SIMVASTATIN IN HUMAN PLASMA BY HPLC-UV AND ITS APPLICATION IN STUDY SIMVASTATIN STABILITY IN PLASMA AND WORKING SOLUTION

Objective:The aim of this study by HPLC-UV method for determination of simvastatin in human plasma has been developed, after extraction by ethyl acetate and hexane (90/10%, v/v) using lovastatin as internal standard.Methodology:Solutes are separated on a C18 column with mobile phase consist a mixture of acetonitrile-water (51/49%, v/v) mL/min and UV detection at 238 nm. The calibration curve was linear from 20 to 1000 ng/mL (r = 0.9996).Result:The intra-day coefficients of variation were less than 6.00% and the accuracies were between 97.52 and 104.80% for human control plasma containing 50, 200 and 500 ng/mL of simvastatin, respectively. The inter-day coefficients of variation were less than 9.00% and the accuracies were between 101.65 and 105.16% for human control plasma containing 50, 200 and 500 ng/mL of simvastatin, respectively. The entire run time for analysis was only 11 min. The limit of quantitation of 20 ng/mL was achieved.Conclusion:The stability studies of simvastatin in human plasma for two months at -850C, in acetonitrile and water for one month at 40C, did not show any significant degradation. Key wordsHPLC-UV, simvastatin and human plasm

DESCRIPTION OF PATIENTS' COMPLIANCE IN ASEER REGION, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

Medication non-adherence can cause impairments that interfere with self-care activities in individuals who suffer from multiple comorbid diseases that require careful management. The objective of this study is to assess and describe medication adherence in patients of Aseer Region of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Samples of 416 patients in the outpatient department at Abha General Hospital and Aseer Central Hospital are selected randomly. The patients were interviewed using seven a self-administered close-ended anonymous questionnaire. Only descriptive statistics is reported in this study for analyze the compliance category. The participants in the study were 71% (295 out of 416 patients) of participants were females, while 29% (121 out of 416) were males. The participants’ age ranges between 18-60 years. The adherence level was 85%. The major reasons for non-adherence were forgetfulness and feeling good. The study revealed the appropriate level of adherence by participants. The study also revealed that pharmacists and other healthcare professional intervention will help to improve further the medication adherence with possible fruitful therapeutic outcomes of the patients

ASIAN FOOD (CARBOHYDRATE, PROTEIN, FAT) INCREASE SIMVASTATIN BIOAVAILABILITY ESPECIALLY IN MALAYSIAN SUBJECTS

Simvastatin 40 mg tablet was evaluated with Malaysian food in 9 healthy Malaysian male volunteers in a randomized, single dose, two-way crossover study. Simvastatin with Malaysian food produced higher AUC0-24, Cmax and Tmax values, as compared with fasting condition. The Ke, t1/2 and Cl did not show any significant difference between fasting and food conditions. However, food delayed gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit, the longer gastric residence time of the simvastatin is offset by the rise in the pH of gastrointestinal tract. Food may be did not affect the increase of splanchnic hepatic blood flow by decreasing first pass metabolism of simvastatin. Food may be had the effect on the increasing of pH of gastrointestinal tract which lead to increase the stability of simvastatin in gastrointestinal fluid and its absorption into blood circulation.Key wordsAsian food, simvastatin bioavailabilityÂ

DETERMINATION OF SIMVASTATIN IN HUMAN PLASMA USING LIQUID CHRMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY

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