Tobaiqy Mansour, Radwi Mansoor, Attieh Zouhair, Almalki Ashwaq M, Alhasan Ahmed H
Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Haematology, College of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Heliyon. 2020 Sep 28;6(9):e05073. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05073. eCollection 2020 Sep.
Antipyretics and analgesics, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are medications commonly used in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and elsewhere to manage fever and pain in the paediatric age group.Research work investigating misuse of these medications in paediatric populations and pertinent healthcare professionals' (HCPs) perceptions as a major determinant of the severity of these errors is scarce.
The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of HCPs about analgesic and antipyretic use in paediatric patients at four major hospitals in Jeddah, KSA. The study also sought to explore factors believed by HCPs to be associated with occurrence of medication errors and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) due to analgesic and antipyretic use.
A cross-sectional survey employing a pre-piloted online questionnaire with an information sheet was delivered to HCPs in four hospitals in the western region of KSA. The questionnaire comprised a mix of a tick list and open and closed questions with Likert scales for attitudinal statements, and it also comprised items including demographics, healthcare professions and the respondents' work experience, HCPs' views and perceptions relating to occurrence of ADRs and medication errors in children who attended the hospital in the preceding three months and the severity and outcomes of the ADRs.
Two-hundred seventy-four HCPs were approached, and 200 agreed to participate, yielding a response rate of 73%, including physicians (50%), nurses (24.5%), and pharmacists (16.5%).The majority of HCPs reported that ADRs could be minimized with appropriate actions. They believed that their lack of experience may have contributed to ADRs. Most HCPs (81%) reported that parental knowledge was a key factor contributing to the decreased occurrence of ADRs in children. They also believed that other factors contributed to the occurrence of ADRs, such as lack of reconciliation (65%), parents' anxiety leading to overmedication (69%) and the easy availability of these medications at home (77%).Twenty-nine respondents (n = 29, 14.5%) reported medication errors related to the use of analgesics or antipyretics. Specifically, they reported that possible contributing factors included poor communication of information (69.5%); interruptions (67.5%) and work pressure (66.0%).
HCPs reported that ADRs and medication errors related to using analgesics and antipyretics in paediatric patients are not uncommon. In their opinion, several factors were associated with occurrence of these events, including parental knowledge about medications and insufficient training of HCPs.
退热药和镇痛药，包括非甾体抗炎药，是沙特阿拉伯王国（KSA）和其他地区常用于治疗儿童发热和疼痛的药物。针对这些药物在儿科人群中的误用情况以及相关医疗保健专业人员（HCPs）的认知作为这些错误严重程度的主要决定因素的研究工作很少。
本研究的目的是探讨吉达市四家主要医院的HCPs对儿科患者使用镇痛药和退热药的看法。该研究还试图探究HCPs认为与因使用镇痛药和退热药而发生的用药错误和药物不良反应（ADR）相关的因素。
采用预先试点的在线问卷并附带信息表，对沙特阿拉伯王国西部地区四家医院的HCPs进行横断面调查。问卷包括勾选清单、开放式和封闭式问题以及用于态度陈述的李克特量表，还包括人口统计学、医疗职业、受访者工作经验、HCPs对前三个月到医院就诊儿童发生ADR和用药错误的看法和认知，以及ADR的严重程度和结果等项目。
共接触了274名HCPs，200人同意参与，回复率为73%，其中包括医生（50%）、护士（24.5%）和药剂师（16.5%）。大多数HCPs报告称，通过适当措施可将ADR降至最低。他们认为自身经验不足可能导致了ADR。大多数HCPs（81%）报告称，家长的认知是减少儿童ADR发生的关键因素。他们还认为其他因素也导致了ADR的发生，如缺乏用药核对（65%）、家长焦虑导致用药过量（69%）以及这些药物在家中容易获取（77%）。29名受访者（n = 29，14.5%）报告了与使用镇痛药或退热药相关的用药错误。具体而言，他们报告称可能的促成因素包括信息沟通不畅（69.5%）、干扰（67.5%）和工作压力（66.0%）。
HCPs报告称，儿科患者使用镇痛药和退热药相关的ADR和用药错误并不罕见。在他们看来，这些事件的发生与多个因素相关，包括家长对药物的认知以及HCPs培训不足。
