Alanazi Ibtisam Hamoud, Alanazi Sabah Dhaifallah, Alanazwi Shouq Lafui, Alshehri Sara Hassan, Prabahar Kousalya
PharmD Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2024 Apr-Jun;16(2):72-78. doi: 10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_1288_23. Epub 2024 Jul 15.
Community pharmacists are engaged in various professional activities starting from drug dispensing to promoting the well-being of patients. They dispense medications as stated in the prescription and are also licensed to prescribe over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Self-medication is widely practiced in various countries, which may lead to irrational drug use. The objectives of this study were to identify the factors associated with dispensing errors, to find ways to minimize dispensing errors, to identify patients' reasons for self-medication, and to find the drugs commonly utilized by patients as OTC medications and the sources of their drug information.
A cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of 286 registered community pharmacists all over Tabuk was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire.
Physician's unclear handwriting in the prescription was the major factor for dispensing error (2.6 out of 3) and writing the prescription clearly by the physician or using a printed form of prescription was an important factor in minimizing dispensing errors (2.91 out of 3). Previous similar complaints in the past were the main reason for self-medication (2.45 out of 3) with analgesics and antipyretics being the commonly dispensed drug groups dispensed as OTC medications (2.95 out of 3).
Self-medication practices and dispensing errors are widespread in Tabuk. Antibiotics were dispensed as OTC medication, which may lead to more chance of irrational drug use. Writing the prescription clearly and legibly would reduce dispensing errors. It is the community pharmacists' responsibility to increase awareness regarding the appropriate use of drugs to the public.
社区药剂师从事从药品调配到促进患者健康等各种专业活动。他们按照处方调配药品，并且也被授权开具非处方药（OTC）。自我药疗在各个国家广泛存在，这可能导致不合理用药。本研究的目的是确定与调配错误相关的因素，找到减少调配错误的方法，确定患者自我药疗的原因，以及找出患者常用作非处方药的药物及其药品信息来源。
使用自填式问卷对塔布克各地286名注册社区药剂师的便利样本进行横断面调查。
处方中医师字迹不清楚是调配错误的主要因素（满分3分，得2.6分），医师清晰书写处方或使用打印处方形式是减少调配错误的重要因素（满分3分，得2.91分）。过去类似的不适是自我药疗的主要原因（满分3分，得2.45分），镇痛药和解热药是作为非处方药最常调配的药物类别（满分3分，得2.95分）。
自我药疗行为和调配错误在塔布克普遍存在。抗生素被作为非处方药调配，这可能导致更多不合理用药的机会。清晰易读地书写处方将减少调配错误。提高公众对合理用药的认识是社区药剂师的责任。
