Alhassoun Roaa Khaled, AlDossary Sharifah Abdullah
Department of Health Informatics, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Digit Health. 2023 Aug 21;9:20552076231194925. doi: 10.1177/20552076231194925. eCollection 2023 Jan-Dec.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected healthcare systems globally. Various health care technologies have been used to mitigate the risk of disease transmission. Telemedicine is one such technology, and remote consulting and prescribing comprise one of its key aspects. In Saudi Arabia, telephone health services have been widely used through the free Medical Consultation Call Center (937). This platform facilitates medical consultations for all citizens, residents, and visitors. After consultations, healthcare providers are able to issue authenticated e-prescriptions using the Anat platform.
To explore the utilization of the Anat remote prescription system in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the factors associated with antibiotic prescription and primary medication adherence.
This retrospective analysis included data from the Anat e‑prescription system using a stratified random sample of 25000 prescriptions issued in Saudi Arabia in 2020. Predictive factors related to the patients, practitioners, and prescriptions were identified through bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.
Out of 25,000 e-prescriptions, 8885 were dispensed, resulting in a 35.5% primary medication adherence rate. The significant predictors of primary adherence were children, respiratory diseases, and antibacterial drugs. In addition, antibiotics made up 32.1% of the e-prescriptions. The prescription of antibiotics was significantly associated with male sex, children, genitourinary system diseases, and being treated by radiologists.
Almost two thirds 62.2% of e-prescriptions were undispensed, with antibiotic eprescriptions at 32.1%. Findings emphasize the need to enhance primary medication adherence and antibiotic prescription interventions. These findings could aid decision-makers in improving patient-centered e-prescribing practices.
新冠疫情已对全球医疗系统造成影响。各种医疗技术已被用于降低疾病传播风险。远程医疗就是这样一种技术，远程咨询和开处方是其关键方面之一。在沙特阿拉伯，电话健康服务已通过免费的医疗咨询呼叫中心（937）得到广泛应用。该平台为所有公民、居民和访客提供医疗咨询便利。咨询后，医疗服务提供者能够使用阿纳特平台开具经认证的电子处方。
探讨新冠疫情期间沙特阿拉伯阿纳特远程处方系统的使用情况，并确定与抗生素处方及主要药物依从性相关的因素。
本回顾性分析纳入了2020年在沙特阿拉伯开具的25000份处方的分层随机样本，这些数据来自阿纳特电子处方系统。通过双变量和多变量逻辑回归分析确定与患者、从业者和处方相关的预测因素。
在25000份电子处方中，8885份被配药，主要药物依从率为35.5%。主要依从性的显著预测因素为儿童、呼吸系统疾病和抗菌药物。此外，抗生素占电子处方的32.1%。抗生素处方与男性、儿童、泌尿生殖系统疾病以及由放射科医生治疗显著相关。
几乎三分之二（62.2%）的电子处方未被配药，抗生素电子处方占32.1%。研究结果强调需要加强主要药物依从性和抗生素处方干预措施。这些发现有助于决策者改进以患者为中心的电子处方实践。
