Albawardi Ibrahim M, Abdullah Layla A Abu, Alzouri Fatimah S, Aldar Hawra M, Al-Shiban Manar A, AlBakr Dalal M, AlMusailhi Jawaher A, AlSaidan Saleh M, Sonbaa Ali M
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital of the University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
J Family Community Med. 2024 Jul-Sep;31(3):230-236. doi: 10.4103/jfcm.jfcm_1_24. Epub 2024 Jul 17.
Healthcare professionals who work in mental health institutions are more exposed to psychotropic medications than those in other healthcare institutions and are, therefore, more likely to self-prescribe. Self-prescription is a concerning phenomenon because of the potential for medication misuse, drug interaction, addiction, and other social, physical, and psychological consequences. This study investigated the prevalence of self-prescription of psychotropic medications and the most common self-prescribed psychotropic medications by healthcare professionals in mental health institutions in Saudi Arabia. It also aimed to determine the possible side effects and factors associated with self-prescription of psychotropic medications.
This was a cross-sectional study using an electronic survey consisting of a researcher-designed checklist, targeting healthcare professionals in mental health institutions in Saudi Arabia. The independent variables were sex, nationality, occupation, place of residence, place of work, previous diagnosis of mental illness, marital, and living status. Data were analyzed, using SPSS, and frequency distribution and percentages were calculated. Chi-square test was employed to determine association between self-prescription and various independent variables.
The final sample size was 588; 9.5% healthcare professionals working at mental health institutions in Saudi Arabia admitted to self-prescription with psychotropic medications. Almost half of those who admitted to self-prescription (48.2%) and about 1/4 (23.2%) self-prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and benzodiazepines, respectively. The most commonly reported side effects of self-prescription were gastrointestinal symptoms and drowsiness. The study also suggested that males were significantly more prone to self-prescribing than females ( < 0.001).
To our knowledge, this is the first study in Saudi Arabia to assess the self-prescription of psychotropic medications by healthcare professionals at mental health institutions. This study is important for decision-makers in their planning and updating of prescription policies. It is also equally important to spread awareness among healthcare professionals about the consequences of self-prescription.
在精神卫生机构工作的医护人员比其他医疗机构的人员接触精神药物的机会更多，因此更有可能自我开药方。自我开药方是一个令人担忧的现象，因为存在药物滥用、药物相互作用、成瘾以及其他社会、身体和心理后果的可能性。本研究调查了沙特阿拉伯精神卫生机构中医护人员自我开精神药物的患病率以及最常自我开具的精神药物。它还旨在确定与精神药物自我开药方相关的可能副作用和因素。
这是一项横断面研究，采用由研究人员设计的清单组成的电子调查问卷，针对沙特阿拉伯精神卫生机构的医护人员。自变量包括性别、国籍、职业、居住地点、工作地点、既往精神疾病诊断、婚姻状况和生活状况。使用SPSS对数据进行分析，并计算频率分布和百分比。采用卡方检验确定自我开药方与各种自变量之间的关联。
最终样本量为588；在沙特阿拉伯精神卫生机构工作的医护人员中有9.5%承认自我开具精神药物。几乎一半承认自我开药方的人（48.2%）和大约四分之一（23.2%）的人分别自我开具了选择性5-羟色胺再摄取抑制剂和苯二氮卓类药物。自我开药方最常报告的副作用是胃肠道症状和嗜睡。该研究还表明，男性比女性更易自我开药方（<0.001）。
据我们所知，这是沙特阿拉伯第一项评估精神卫生机构医护人员自我开精神药物情况的研究。本研究对决策者制定和更新处方政策具有重要意义。同样重要的是，要提高医护人员对自我开药方后果的认识。
