Page 99 - Pharma News Letter - Vol2 Issue 1

Research Publications

Evaluation Of Knowledge, Experiences, And Fear Toward
Prescribing And Dispensing Corticosteroids Among Egyptian
Healthcare Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal. 2023 Oct; 31(10): 101777.
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Muna Barakat, Noha O Mansour , Mohamed Hassan Elnaem, Samar Thiab, Rana Abu

Farha, Malik Sallam, Ahmed Said Ali, Doaa H Abdelaziz

Abstract

Background: Corticosteroids (CS) are essential drugs in the treatment of several medical
conditions. Assuming different roles, physicians and pharmacists play a primary role in
prescribing and dispensing these medications to optimize patients’ clinical management. The
data on assessing knowledge and experience of healthcare professionals toward CS is scarce.
Therefore, this study aimed to assess and compare knowledge, experience, and fears towards CS
among Egyptian physicians and pharmacists.
Methods: A cross-sectional, self-administrated, validated online questionnaire was used to collect
the data from Egyptian healthcare professionals. The questionnaire consisted of four sections with
multiple choice questions: sociodemographic (7 questions), knowledge about CS (13 questions),
experience with CS prescription/dispensing (5 questions), and fears and preferences toward CS
prescription/dispensing (13 questions). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze
the data.
Results: A total of 600 responses were analyzed in this study. The study sample was almost two-
half of healthcare providers: 303 (50.5%) pharmacists and 297 (49.5%) physicians. Pharmacists
had marginally higher knowledge scores as compared to those recorded for physicians (11.29
versus 10.16, respectively; P = 0.047). Physicians had more experience choosing corticosteroids
in treatment plans based on their experience (51.8% vs 38.5%) and guideline recommendations
(72.8% vs 50.9%) than pharmacists. However, pharmacists had more experience dealing with
corticosteroid use based on patients’ preferences (19.5% vs 4.9%) and showed a broader scope of
experiencing side effects of corticosteroids with their patients. The two professions demonstrated
high levels of fear, with pharmacists acknowledging significantly lower concerns about CS than
physicians (3.72 versus 4.0, respectively; P = 0.003).
Conclusion: Discrepancies exist among healthcare professionals in knowledge and experience,
favoring better scientific knowledge of pharmacists related to corticosteroids. Based on these
findings, the interprofessional collaborative efforts would provide comprehensive, patient-
centered care that maximizes the benefits of CS while minimizing their risks.

Reference:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsps.2023.101777

Vol. 2 - Issue 1 99