Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dow College of Pharmacy, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi 74200, Pakistan.
Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dow College of Pharmacy, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi 74200, Pakistan.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Apr 13;19(8):4699. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19084699.
Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is complicated, with numerous aspects influencing decision-making, including disease severity, comorbidities, and patient preferences. The present study aimed to evaluate healthcare professionals' (HCPs) knowledge of biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) and their compliance with the standard management guidelines for assuring optimal RA therapy. The cross-sectional, survey-based study was performed in various healthcare and academic settings in Karachi, Pakistan to probe HCPs' knowledge of bDMARDs and their compliance with the European League against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the management of RA patients. Overall, = 413 questionnaires were included in our study (response rate: 82.6%). The physicians were further well-informed about the indications ( = 276, 91.3%, = 0.001) and monitoring requirements ( = 258, 85.4%, = 0.004). The pharmacists were more knowledgeable about the drug targets ( = 96, 86.4%, = 0.029) and their mechanisms of action ( = 80, 72.0%, = 0.013). Male respondents as compared with females (41.3% vs. 35.6%, = 0.04), and physicians as compared with pharmacists (40.7% vs. 37.8%, = 0.012), were more confident in using bDMARDs than conventional treatment in RA patients. Our findings show that the respondents were familiar with the attributes of bDMARDs and the standard management guidelines for RA care. Our results may be relevant in creating new methods, guidelines, and treatments to enhance RA treatment adherence, satisfaction, and health outcomes.
类风湿关节炎（RA）的治疗较为复杂，有许多方面会影响决策，包括疾病严重程度、合并症和患者偏好。本研究旨在评估医疗保健专业人员（HCP）对生物改善病情抗风湿药物（bDMARDs）的了解程度，以及他们遵守确保 RA 治疗最佳的标准管理指南的情况。这项横断面、基于调查的研究在巴基斯坦卡拉奇的各种医疗保健和学术环境中进行，旨在探讨 HCP 对 bDMARDs 的了解程度，以及他们遵守欧洲抗风湿病联盟（EULAR）关于 RA 患者管理建议的情况。共有 413 份问卷（应答率：82.6%）纳入我们的研究。医生对适应证（ = 276，91.3%， = 0.001）和监测要求（ = 258，85.4%， = 0.004）了解得更好。药剂师对药物靶点（ = 96，86.4%， = 0.029）及其作用机制（ = 80，72.0%， = 0.013）了解得更多。与女性相比（41.3%比 35.6%， = 0.04），男性和医生与药剂师相比（40.7%比 37.8%， = 0.012），更有信心在 RA 患者中使用 bDMARDs 而不是常规治疗。我们的发现表明，受访者熟悉 bDMARDs 的属性和 RA 护理的标准管理指南。我们的研究结果可能与创建新方法、指南和治疗方法以提高 RA 治疗的依从性、满意度和健康结果有关。
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