Assessment of community pharmacists’ knowledge about utilization, safety, and interactions of commonly prescribed anticoagulants: A report from North West of Iran Community pharmacists’ knowledge about anticoagulants
International Pharmacy Acta,
Vol. 6 No. 1 (2023),
1 January 2023
,
Page e1: 1-5
https://doi.org/10.22037/ipa.v6i1.38031
Abstract
Anticoagulants are used to treat different thrombotic conditions, and patients should be educated on administration, safety, and adverse reactions associated with their medication to achieve the optimum therapeutic effect. Pharmacists are an essential part of providing pharmaceutical care and a reliable source of information for patients; therefore, their knowledge of medications must be up-to-date. This study aimed to assess Urmia’s community pharmacists’ knowledge about the utilization, safety, and interactions of commonly prescribed anticoagulants.
This questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September 1st, 2020, to February 31st, 2021, in Urmia, Iran. A 35-item questionnaire was designed based on previous studies and researchers’ experience. The questionnaire was validated, and its final version was presented to randomly selected community pharmacists in Urmia. Filled-out forms were collected and analyzed in the context of three main areas of safety, adverse reactions, and administration.
Ninety-five participants filled out the questionnaire, for whom a mean score of 16.53±4.56 was calculated. Out of 95 pharmacists, only 30 scored ≥50% correct answers. No significant correlation was observed between age, years of employment, and pharmacists' competency in correctly answering the questions (p-value>0.05). The participants' overall knowledge was more reliable for warfarin than for enoxaparin and DOACs, with a p-value<0.001.
The results of this study suggest a lack of sufficient knowledge among Urmia’s community pharmacists concerning commonly prescribed anticoagulants. This puts patients at risk for therapy complications and should be addressed accordingly.
- Anticoagulant
- community pharmacist
- knowledge
- safety
- utilization
- questionnaire
How to Cite
References
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