Knowledge, attitude and dispensing practice of the pharmacists related to complementary alternative medicines in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional descriptive study

The use of complementary alternative medicines (CAMs) has risen globally in recent times. Such medications are exclusively and readily available in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia through community pharmacies and other retail outlets, exposing the consumers to various risks like harmful drug inter...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC health services research 2022-12, Vol.22 (1), p.1533-10, Article 1533
Main Authors: Al-Yousef, Hanan M, Alghadir, Ahmad H, Iqbal, Amir
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alternative medicine
Attitude
Attitudes
Beliefs, opinions and attitudes
Complementary alternative medicine
Cross-Sectional Studies
Data collection
Demographics
Dispensing
Drug stores
Drugs
Female
Females
Gender
Health aspects
Health care management
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health services
Hospitals
Humans
Informed consent
Knowledge
Male
Medicine
Pharmacies
Pharmacists
Practice
Questionnaires
Saudi Arabia
Services
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Summary:The use of complementary alternative medicines (CAMs) has risen globally in recent times. Such medications are exclusively and readily available in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia through community pharmacies and other retail outlets, exposing the consumers to various risks like harmful drug interactions. These situations take pharmacists to a responsible position where they should provide evidence-based information to help consumers make safe consumption. The consumption of CAMs can be ensured safe if pharmacists have appropriate knowledge and training about their use, dosing, side effects, etc. This study aimed to investigate and evaluate the pharmacist's factual knowledge, perception and dispensing practice related to various aspects of CAMs based on gender and experience. The study followed a structured self-administered questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey design. Out of 200, with a response rate of 89.5%, 179 pharmacists (115 males; 64 females) from the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia participated in this study. The knowledge scores of male and female pharmacists were compared using an unpaired t-test. The correlation between pharmacists' knowledge and their work experience was determined using Pearson's correlation coefficient test, keeping the significance value at p 
ISSN:1472-6963
1472-6963
DOI:10.1186/s12913-022-08932-0