International Journal of General Medicine (Dec 2022)

Assessment of the Community Pharmacists’ Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Pain and Pain Management in Saudi Arabia

  • Alorfi NM,
  • Ashour AM,
  • Algarni AS,
  • Alsolami FA,
  • Alansari AM,
  • Tobaiqy M

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 15
pp. 8527 – 8537

Abstract

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Nasser M Alorfi,1 Ahmed M Ashour,1 Alanood S Algarni,1 Faris A Alsolami,2 Abdulrhman M Alansari,3 Mansour Tobaiqy4 1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia; 2Khulais General Hospital, Ministry of Health, Makkah, Saudi Arabia; 3Alsafiah Health Care Center, Ministry of Health, Madinah, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Nasser M Alorfi, Umm Al-Qura University, Al Abdeyah, Mecca, 24381, Saudi Arabia, Email [email protected]: Pain is a global health issue that affects an individual’s quality of life. Its alleviation and management will enhance patients’ experience. Community pharmacists can help manage pain severity through their valuable roles in medical teams and by managing the consequences of pain.Objective: This study aimed to evaluate community pharmacists’ knowledge and attitudes toward pain and pain management in Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate community pharmacists’ knowledge and attitudes toward pain and pain management in Saudi Arabia. Pharmacists aged ≥ 21 years, with a degree in pharmacy were included in this study. Each respondent participated in an online survey covering cancer-oriented pain and assessment of pain; pharmacology; abuse of substances; and physical dependence. An independent t-test and One-way ANOVA, with least significant difference as a post-hoc test, were employed, in addition to the General Linear Regression Model using Main Effect as the model.Results: This study revealed that the pain-related knowledge and attitude among community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia were inadequate. Age (p = 0.003), work experience (p = 0.036), nature of work (p = 0.001), and work location (p = 0.003) were determined as significant factors affecting their overall knowledge and attitude toward pain.Conclusion: Overall, attempts to expand community pharmacists’ knowledge and foster an appropriate attitude toward pain management among them in Saudi Arabia are highly recommended. Additional academic courses, studies, and tailored neuroscience courses will improve their awareness and knowledge of pain and pain management.Keywords: pharmacist, pain, knowledge, attitude, practice

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