Pharmacists' Counseling and Benzodiazepines Dispensing for Sleep Disorders: A Simulated Patient Study in Iran.

IF 0.8 Q4 PHARMACOLOGY & PHARMACY Journal of Research in Pharmacy Practice Pub Date : 2024-09-26 eCollection Date: 2024-01-01 DOI:10.4103/jrpp.jrpp_24_24
Fatemeh Banitaba Joshaghani, Shadi Sarahroodi
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Abstract

Objective: Sleep is critical for good health and quality of life, but many people struggle with sleep disorders. Pharmacists are on the front lines, helping patients manage these problems. However, there is growing concern that some pharmacists are dispensing benzodiazepines over-the-counter and failing to provide proper counseling. This study examined how pharmacists in Iran performed in these areas.

Methods: Between January and April 2022, we conducted a cross-sectional study in three major Iranian cities, using a "simulated patient" to observe how pharmacists interacted with them. In total, 431 pharmacies participated, and we used detailed forms to record the pharmacists' behavior. We then analyzed the data using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square tests.

Findings: Of 549 visits, 78.5% were managed by pharmacists, whereas the remainder were managed by other pharmacy staff. 79.7% of pharmacists evaluated the patient before deciding whether or not to prescribe the medication and 58.9% provided a kind of counseling for their offered medication, but just 10.6% of pharmacies had a private counseling area. Despite regulations that require a valid prescription for benzodiazepines, 9.2% of pharmacies dispensed diazepam, and 13.2% dispensed alprazolam without requesting one, and when counseling was offered, it often lacked critical details.

Conclusion: These findings raise serious concerns. There are deficiencies in how pharmacists and patients interact, with many pharmacists spending minimal time assessing patient needs. The high rates of benzodiazepine dispensing without valid prescriptions and inadequate counseling point to a need for stricter protocols and more training. To address these issues, health-care professionals and policymakers must collaborate to improve the quality and safety of sleep disorder treatment in community pharmacies.

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药剂师对睡眠障碍的咨询和苯二氮卓配药:伊朗模拟患者研究。
目的:睡眠对健康和生活质量至关重要,但许多人都在与睡眠障碍作斗争。药剂师站在第一线,帮助患者解决这些问题。然而,越来越多的人担心,一些药剂师在非处方药中配发苯二氮卓类药物,并且未能提供适当的咨询服务。本研究考察了伊朗药剂师在这些方面的表现:2022 年 1 月至 4 月期间,我们在伊朗三个主要城市开展了一项横断面研究,使用 "模拟病人 "观察药剂师如何与他们互动。共有 431 家药店参与了研究,我们使用详细的表格记录了药剂师的行为。然后,我们使用描述性统计和卡方检验对数据进行了分析:在 549 次访问中,78.5% 由药剂师管理,其余则由其他药房员工管理。79.7%的药剂师在决定是否开药前对患者进行了评估,58.9%的药剂师为所提供的药物提供了某种咨询,但只有 10.6%的药店设有私人咨询区。尽管规定苯二氮卓类药物需要有效的处方,但 9.2% 的药店在配发地西泮时未要求提供处方,13.2% 的药店在配发阿普唑仑时未要求提供处方,即使提供了咨询,也往往缺乏关键细节:这些发现引起了人们的严重关切。药剂师与患者的互动方式存在缺陷,许多药剂师花在评估患者需求上的时间极少。在没有有效处方的情况下配发苯二氮卓类药物的比例很高,而且咨询不足,这表明需要制定更严格的规程和开展更多培训。为了解决这些问题,医护人员和政策制定者必须通力合作,提高社区药房睡眠障碍治疗的质量和安全性。
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来源期刊
Journal of Research in Pharmacy Practice
Journal of Research in Pharmacy Practice PHARMACOLOGY & PHARMACY-
自引率
0.00%
发文量
8
审稿时长
21 weeks
期刊介绍: The main focus of the journal will be on evidence-based drug-related medical researches (with clinical pharmacists’ intervention or documentation), particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean region. However, a wide range of closely related issues will be also covered. These will include clinical studies in the field of pharmaceutical care, reporting adverse drug reactions and human medical toxicology, pharmaco-epidemiology and toxico-epidemiology (poisoning epidemiology), social aspects of pharmacy practice, pharmacy education and economic evaluations of treatment protocols (e.g. cost-effectiveness studies). Local reports of medication utilization studies at hospital or pharmacy levels will only be considered for peer-review process only if they have a new and useful message for the international pharmacy practice professionals and readers.
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