Pharmacy students’ perceptions and attitudes towards experiential training in Jordan and United Kingdom

Purpose: To examine the quality of pharmaceutical experiential training by developing an experiential training survey. Methods: An online survey was placed on E-learning platforms in Jordan and UK to develop a validated instrument that can assess pharmacy students' perceptions of the experiential program implemented in their curricula. Results: A total of 377 students from Jordan (250 students) and the UK (127 students) completed the survey. Principal component analysis was used to conduct exploratory factor analysis and to assess the factor structure for the data. A two-factor model was applied to the data obtained from the students. These factors included students’ feelings toward experiential training (Perceiver Feelings; PF) and their ability to conduct a full Pharmaceutical Care Plan (PCP). Students from both Jordan and the UK showed a higher satisfaction PF score toward the experiential training program compared to PCP. Being female and not having prior practice experience led to significantly lower PCP scores compared to males and having a prior practice experience, respectively. Conclusion: The availability of a validated questionnaire will help in investigating the effectiveness of experiential training courses. Keywords: Experiential training; Factor Analysis; Survey development; Pharmac

Factors associated with lipid control in outpatients with heart failure

BackgroundDyslipidemia is common among patients with heart failure, and it negatively impacts clinical outcomes. Limited data regarding the factors associated with poor lipid control in patients with HF patients. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate lipid control and to explore the factors associated with poor lipid control in patients with HF.MethodsThe current cross-sectional study was conducted at outpatient cardiology clinics at two major hospitals in Jordan. Variables including socio-demographics, biomedical variables, in addition to disease and medication characteristics were collected using medical records and custom-designed questionnaire. Medication adherence was assessed using the validated 4-item Medication Adherence Scale. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore significant and independent predictors of poor lipid control among the study participants.ResultsA total of 428 HF patients participated in the study. Results showed that 78% of the participants had poor lipid control. The predictors that were associated with poor lipid control included uncontrolled BP (OR = 0.552; 95% CI: 0.330–0.923; P < 0.05), higher Hb levels (OR = 1.178; 95% CI: 1.013–1.369; P < 0.05), and higher WBC (OR = 1.133; 95% CI: 1.031–1.246; P < 0.05).ConclusionsThis study revealed poor lipid control among patients with HF. Future intervention programs should focus on blood pressure control in order to improve health outcomes among HF patients with dyslipidemia

COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance and Its Associated Factors Among a Middle Eastern Population

BACKGROUND: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a major threat to public health and has had a significant impact on all aspects of life. An effective vaccine is the most anticipated resolution. This study aims to evaluate Jordanian intent to be vaccinated.METHODS: This is a cross-sectional web-based study. Sample characteristics were gathered, and the participants were classified according to the degree of COVID-19 risk based on the categories of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Participants' KAP toward COVID-19 were assessed, and two scores were calculated: knowledge score and practice score. The association between different sample characteristics and these scores was identified using binary logistical regressions. The participants' vaccination intention was evaluated and multinomial logistic regression was applied to identify the predictors of vaccination intention. Finally, the reasons behind the participants' vaccination refusal/hesitation were determined and categorized into different groups. RESULTS: 1,144 participants were enrolled in the study (females = 66.5%). 30.4% of the participants were at high risk of COVID-19 complications, and 27.5% were at medium risk. Overall, participants' knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms, transmission methods, protective measures, and availability of cure were high (median of knowledge score = 17 out of 21). High protective practices were followed by many participants (median of practice score = 7 out of 10). 3.7% of participants were infected, and 6.4% suspected they were infected with the COVID-19 virus. 36.8% of the participants answered “No” when asked if they would take the vaccine once it becomes available, and 26.4% answered, “Not sure.” The main reasons for the participants' vaccination refusal or hesitancy were concerns regarding the use of vaccines and a lack of trust in them.CONCLUSION: Participants reported high refusal/hesitancy. Several barriers were identified, and efforts should be intensified to overcome these barriers

Anxiety and depression among pharmacy students before and during COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: To evaluate factors associated with anxiety and depression among pharmacy students before and during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaires were translated into Arabic and placed on the e-learning platforms of two Jordanian universities after conducting cognitive interviews. Validity and reliability of the two translated questionnaires were evaluated by conducting Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and calculating Cronbach’s alpha. T-tests and binary regression were conducted to evaluate factors associated with anxiety and depression among pharmacy students. Results: Several factors were associated with depression and anxiety including being an international student (p < 0.05), living alone and away from their primary country of residence (p < 0.05), female gender (p < 0.01), and being a fifth-year student (p < 0.01). Conclusion: A tool to evaluate anxiety and depression among pharmacy students in Jordan has been successfully validated. Also, the results show that pharmacy students suffered from high levels of anxiety and depression, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic

Spirometry reference equations for an adult Middle Eastern population

<p><b>Background</b>: Spirometric reference values are crucial in screening, diagnosis and monitoring the therapeutic course of respiratory diseases. These values from a representative population are key to making a precise interpretation of respiratory diseases. The objective of this study is to determine the spirometric reference values of a healthy Jordanian population.</p> <p><b>Method</b>: Participants were recruited from Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan and from several pharmacies, polyclinics and hospitals in different cities in Jordan. To formulate Jordanian-specific spirometric reference values, generalised additive models for location scale and shape (GAMLSS) were used.</p> <p><b>Results</b>: Spirometric reference values were derived from 1,949 healthy nonsmoking adults (1,061 females) and validated in 300 healthy nonsmoking subjects (150 females).</p> <p><b>Conclusion</b>: Spirometric reference values were developed for a Middle Eastern adult population.</p

Glycemic control and its associated factors among diabetic heart failure outpatients at two major hospitals in Jordan.

Patients with heart failure (HF) are generally at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and having uncontrolled blood glucose. Furthermore, the prevalence of uncontrolled blood glucose in patients with HF is largely unknown. Identifying the factors associated with poor blood glucose control is a preliminary step in the development of effective intervention programs. The current cross-sectional study was conducted at two major hospitals to explore the factors associated with blood glucose control among patients with heart failure and type 2 diabetes. In addition to sociodemographic, medical records were used to collect medical information and a validated questionnaire was used to evaluate medication adherence. Regression analysis showed that poor medication adherence (OR = 0.432; 95%CI 0.204-0.912; P<0.05) and increased white blood cells count (OR = 1.12; 95%CI 1.033-1.213; P<0.01) were associated with poor glycemic control. For enhancing blood glucose control among patients with HF and diabetes, future intervention programs should specifically target patients who have high WBC counts and poor medication

Artificial intelligence in pharmacy practice: Attitude and willingness of the community pharmacists and the barriers for its implementation

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capacity of machines to perform tasks that ordinarily require human intelligence. AI can be utilized in various pharmaceutical applications with less time and cost. Objectives: To evaluate community pharmacists’ willingness and attitudes towards the adoption of AI technology at pharmacy settings, and the barriers that hinder AI implementation. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among community pharmacists in Jordan using an online-based questionnaire. In addition to socio-demographics, the survey assessed pharmacists’ willingness, attitudes, and barriers to AI adoption in pharmacy. Binary logistic regression was conducted to find the variables that are independently associated with willingness and attitude towards AI implementation. Results: The present study enrolled 401 pharmacist participants. The median age was 30 (29–33) years. Most of the pharmacists were females (66.6%), had bachelor’s degree of pharmacy (56.1%), had low-income (54.6%), and had one to five years of experience (35.9%). The pharmacists showed good willingness and attitude towards AI implementation at pharmacy (n = 401). The most common barriers to AI were lack of AI-related software and hardware (79.2%), the need for human supervision (76.4%), and the high running cost of AI (74.6%). Longer weekly working hours (attitude: OR = 1.072, 95% C.I (1.040–1.104), P < 0.001, willingness: OR = 1.069, 95% Cl. 1.039–1.009, P-value = 0.011), and higher knowledge of AI applications (attitude: OR = 1.697, 95%Cl (1.327–2.170), willingness: OR = 1.790, 95%Cl. (1.396–2.297), P-value < 0.001 for both) were significantly associated with better willingness and attitude towards AI, whereas greater years of experience (OR = 20.859, 95% Cl (5.241–83.017), P-value < 0.001) were associated with higher willingness. In contrast, pharmacists with high income (OR = 0.382, 95% Cl. (0.183–0.795), P-value = 0.010), and those with<10 visitors (OR = 0.172, 95% Cl. (0.035–0.838), P-value = 0.029) or 31–50 visitors daily (OR = 0.392, 95% Cl. (0.162–0.944), P-value = 0.037) had less willingness to adopt AI. Conclusions: Despite the pharmacists' positive willingness and attitudes toward AI, several barriers were identified, highlighting the importance of providing educational and training programs to improve pharmacists' knowledge of AI, as well as ensuring adequate funding support to overcome the issue of AI high operating costs

Demographic characteristics of the study participants (n = 242).

Demographic characteristics of the study participants (n = 242).</p