Alkhalidi Doaa, Jamshed Shazia Qasim, Elkalmi Ramadan Mohamed, Baig Mirza Rafi, Aslam Adeel, Hassali Mohamed Azmi
Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, IIUM, Kuantan, Pahang 25200, Malaysia.
Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Shah Alam, Selangor 42300, Malaysia.
Pharmacy (Basel). 2019 Feb 7;7(1):19. doi: 10.3390/pharmacy7010019.
Ensuring drug safety among the patients is the main domain of pharmacovigilance activities worldwide. A pharmacovigilance system was established in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2008. Research evidence reflects that the current system is lacking in active participation from patients, and also, the inadequate role of healthcare professionals is anticipated. In this context, it is pertinent to know the general public's understandings and their patterns of safe use of medication, which are unexplored areas in Dubai, UAE. The current study aimed to explore the public views, attitudes, and experiences toward medication safety, and to explore key factors enhancing the safe use of medications among the public in Dubai. This study adopted a qualitative approach and face-to-face, 14 in-depth interviews with public individuals, selected purposively using the snowball sampling technique. The interviews were conducted in different places in Dubai recorded and transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed for data analysis. Reporting of adverse drug reaction was not well-known among all the participants. Public views towards safe use of medicines were limited to the side effects of the consumed medicines only, and to a lesser extent to the inappropriate indication and dosage. Most of the participants mentioned that gaining knowledge about the side effects of the prescribed drug was the main reason for reading the patient information leaflet. Quite a few participants have experienced side effects while consuming their medicines and they were unsure of how to deal with the situation. The current research also reflected the lack of proper communication between pharmacists and physicians in managing drug safety issues. Conclusively, the current research revealed gaps in public views regarding medication's safety, which consequently may impact their attitudes during the course of medication use. Efforts need to be strengthened to enhance positive views and attitudes of the public towards medication safety and ADR reporting in the UAE.
确保患者用药安全是全球药物警戒活动的主要领域。阿拉伯联合酋长国（阿联酋）于2008年建立了药物警戒系统。研究证据表明，当前系统缺乏患者的积极参与，而且预计医疗保健专业人员的作用也不充分。在这种背景下，了解公众对药物安全使用的理解及其模式很有必要，这在阿联酋迪拜还是未被探索的领域。本研究旨在探讨公众对药物安全的看法、态度和经历，并探索增强迪拜公众安全用药的关键因素。本研究采用定性方法，通过雪球抽样技术有目的地选择了14名公众进行面对面的深入访谈。访谈在迪拜的不同地点进行，记录并逐字转录，然后进行主题分析以进行数据分析。所有参与者对药物不良反应的报告都不太了解。公众对安全用药的看法仅限于所服用药物的副作用，在较小程度上涉及用药指征和剂量不当。大多数参与者提到，了解处方药的副作用是阅读患者信息手册的主要原因。相当多的参与者在服药时经历过副作用，他们不确定如何应对这种情况。当前研究还反映出药剂师和医生在处理药物安全问题时缺乏适当沟通。总之，当前研究揭示了公众在药物安全观点方面的差距，这可能会影响他们在用药过程中的态度。需要加强努力，以增强阿联酋公众对药物安全和药物不良反应报告的积极看法和态度。
