Assessment of Knowledge, Perception, Experience and Phobia toward Corticosteroids Use among the General Public in the Era of COVID-19: A Multinational Study
Muna Barakat,
Mohamed Hassan Elnaem,
Amani Al-Rawashdeh,
Bayan Othman,
Sarah Ibrahim,
Doaa H. Abdelaziz,
Anas O. Alshweiki,
Zelal Kharaba,
Diana Malaeb,
Nabeel Kashan Syed,
Abdulqadir J. Nashwan,
Mohammed Fathelrahman Adam,
Reem Alzayer,
Mohammad Saleh Albarbandi,
Rana K. Abu-Farha,
Malik Sallam,
Yasmeen Barakat,
Noha O. Mansour
Affiliations
Muna Barakat
Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman 11931, Jordan
Mohamed Hassan Elnaem
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, George Town 11800, Malaysia
Amani Al-Rawashdeh
Faculty of Pharmacy, Amman Arab University, Amman 11953, Jordan
Bayan Othman
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman 11931, Jordan
Sarah Ibrahim
Department of Biopharmaceutics and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Doaa H. Abdelaziz
Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Future University in Egypt, Cairo 11835, Egypt
Anas O. Alshweiki
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman 11931, Jordan
Zelal Kharaba
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi 112612, United Arab Emirates
Diana Malaeb
College of Pharmacy, Gulf Medical University, Ajman P.O. Box 4184, United Arab Emirates
Nabeel Kashan Syed
Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Gizan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Abdulqadir J. Nashwan
Department of Nursing Education & Practice Development, Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital (HMGH), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha 3050, Qatar
Mohammed Fathelrahman Adam
Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Science and Technology, Omdurman 14411, Sudan
Reem Alzayer
Clinical pharmacy Practice, Department of pharmacy, Mohammed Al-Mana College for Medical Sciences, Dammam 34222, Saudi Arabia
Mohammad Saleh Albarbandi
Department of Neurosurgery, Ibn Al-Nafees Hospital, Damascus G8W4+MQW, Syria
Rana K. Abu-Farha
Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman 11931, Jordan
Malik Sallam
Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Yasmeen Barakat
Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman 11931, Jordan
Noha O. Mansour
Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
Background: Corticosteroids play a significant role in managing the vast majority of inflammatory and immunologic conditions. To date, population-based studies on knowledge and attitudes concerning corticosteroids are scarce. This study aims to comprehensively assess knowledge, perception, experience and phobia toward corticosteroid use among the general population in the era of COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional self-administrated questionnaire was used to collect the data from 6 countries. Knowledge and corticophobia scores, descriptive statistics and logistic regression were computed. Results: A total of 2354 participants were enrolled in this study; the majority were females (61.6%) with an average age of 30. Around 61.9% had been infected previously with COVID-19, and about one-third of the participants had experience with corticosteroid use. The mean knowledge score was relatively satisfactory (8.7 ± 4.5 out of 14), and Corticophobia ranked a high score in all countries. Age, female gender, and history of COVID-19 were positively correlated with developing corticophobia. Conclusion: Our study highlights that the general knowledge about steroids was satisfactory. However, the phobia toward its use upon indication is high. Therefore, enhancing awareness and providing essential counseling regarding the rational use of corticosteroids may reduce corticophobia.