Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in the Palestinian population

We determined the prevalence of hypertension and the level of awareness, treatment and control of hypertension among Palestinian adults in a population-based cross-sectional survey. Two-stage stratified sampling method was used to select 2077 participants from the general population aged 25 years and over. Trained observers obtained two blood pressure (BP) measurements from each individual by the use of a standardized mercury sphygmomanometer after a 5-min sitting rest. Information on sociogeographical factors and antihypertensive medications was obtained using a standard questionnaire. Hypertension was defined as a mean systolic BP (SBP) X140mm Hg, diastolic BP (DBP)X90mmHg, and/or use of antihypertensive medications. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 27.6%, with a higher percentage among men (29.2 vs 26.4%; P¼0.04). Hypertension increased with age in both men and women. Among hypertensive patients, 51.0% were aware of their elevated BP, 40.2% had treatment and only 9.5% achieved targeted BP control (o140/90mmHg). Patients under antihypertensive treatment showed SBP and DBP that were only 3.1mmHg and 2.5mmHg lower than individuals without antihypertensive treatment, respectively. The data show that hypertension prevalence among Palestinian adults is high, whereas the proportions of awareness treatment and control of hypertension were low. Concerted public health effort is urgently required to improve the detection, treatment and control of hypertension in Palestine.Technical and financial support for this study was made available by the Palestinian American Research Council. We also wish to thank Dr Asa’d Ramlawi, Head of the primary care department at the Palestinian Ministry of Health for his support. This project is Funded by the Palestinian American Research Council

A qualitative assessment of the pediatric content in pharmacy curricula adopted by pharmacy schools in Jordan

Objective: The present study aimed to explore faculty (i.e., professors of various ranks) opinions and views regarding the pediatric content in courses taught to pharmacy students in Jordan. Methods: Purposeful sampling was used to identify faculty from ten pharmacy schools. Participants were identified through their institutions’ websites. After obtaining required approvals, twelve in-depth interviews were conducted, recorded, transcribed and analyzed using NVivo 11 Software. Interviews followed a previously prepared and validated interview guide. The interview guide covered various aspects of pediatric undergraduate education and training. Results: Twelve professors (eight assistants and four associate professors) agreed to take part in the study. Qualitative analysis revealed four themes each with regard to respondents’ knowledge of the pediatric content and their students’ competency in dealing with pediatric patients. The emerging themes were: the lack of pediatric content in their current curriculum, the need for exposing students to more courses teaching pediatrics, and future aspirations to deal with this, and implications on practice. Conclusions: This study highlights the deficiency of pediatric courses in pharmacy curriculum in Jordan. Respondent believed that this will have negative implications on pediatric pharmaceutical care and treatment efficacy and safety. It was thought that adding more pediatrics topics to undergraduate curricula, offering pediatric specialized postgraduate education, and implementing pre-registration training could alleviate the current situation

Medication Adherence and Its Associated Factors Among Outpatients with Heart Failure

Anan S Jarab,1,2 Walid A Al-Qerem,3 Hanan Walid Hamam,1 Karem H Alzoubi,4,5 Shrouq R Abu Heshmeh,1 Tareq L Mukattash,1 Eman Alefishat6– 8 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, 22110, Jordan; 2College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 3Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman, 11733, Jordan; 4Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacotherapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; 5Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 6Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine and Health Science, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, 127788, United Arab Emirates; 7Department Biopharmaceutics and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan; 8Center for Biotechnology, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, 127788, United Arab EmiratesCorrespondence: Eman Alefishat, Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine and Health Science, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, 127788, United Arab Emirates, Tel +971 5 07293877, Email [email protected]: Poor adherence to heart failure (HF) medications represents a major barrier to achieve the desired health outcomes in those patients.Objective: To assess medication adherence and to explore the factors associated with medication non-adherence among patient with HF in Jordan.Methods: The current cross-sectional study was conducted at the outpatient cardiology clinics at two main hospitals in Jordan from August 2021 through April 2022. 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 4-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors that are significantly and independently associated with medication non-adherence.Results: Of the 427 participating patients, 92.5% had low to moderate medication adherence. Results of the regression analysis revealed that that patients who had higher education level (OR=3.36; 95% CI 1.08– 10.43; P=0.04) and were not suffering from medication-related side effects (OR=4.7; 95% CI 1.91– 11.5; P=0.001) had significantly higher odds of being in the moderate adherence group. Patients who were taking statins (OR=16.59; 95% CI 1.79– 153.98; P=0.01) or ACEIs/ ARBs (OR=3.95; 95% CI 1.01– 15.41; P=0.04) had significantly higher odds of being in the high adherence group. Furthermore, Patients who were not taking anticoagulants had higher odds of being in the moderate (OR=2.77; 95% CI 1.2– 6.46; P=0.02) and high (OR=4.11; 95% CI 1.27– 13.36; P=0.02) adherence groups when compared to patients who were taking anticoagulants.Conclusion: The poor medication adherence in the present study sheds the light on the importance of implementing intervention programs which focus on improving patients’ perception about the prescribed medications particularly for patients who have low educational levels, receive an anticoagulant, and do not receive a statin or an ACEI/ ARB.Keywords: heart failure, medication adherence, medication necessity, medication concerns, intervention, Jorda

Prevalence and nature of off-label antibiotic prescribing for children in a tertiary setting: A descriptive study from Jordan

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of off-label antibiotics in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and paediatric wards in Jordan. Methods: Data of patients admitted to the neonatal intensive care units and paediatric wards in King Abdulla University Hospital were collected over an 8-week survey between May and July 2012. Data collected in this study included patients’ age, weight, medical history, diagnosis and the details of antibiotics prescribed to each patient. Results: The study involved a total of 250 children (80 admitted to the NICU and 170 admitted to the wards). A total of 598 antibiotic prescriptions were issued for these patients (244 in NICUs and 354 in paediatricwards). The results of the present study show that off-label antibiotic prescribing to paediatric patients is very common. Off-label antibiotic prescribing to paediatric patients is related mostly to doses and indications, and rarely to age. The majority of admitted patients received at least one off-label antibiotic during their hospital stay. Conclusion: This study reveals the high prevalence of off-label use of antibiotic among paediatric children in Jordan. There is a serious need for robust and continuous educational programs to improve the awareness of paediatricians of guidelines surrounding the use of antibiotics in paediatric patients. Furthermore, true collaboration between paediatricians and clinical pharmacists towards safe and effective antibiotic prescribing in paediatric patients is crucial