Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of Lebanese pharmacists in providing patient counseling on urinary tract infection and its treatment

Riham Sabra; Jihan Safwan; Mariam Dabbous; Ahmad Rida; Diana Malaeb; Marwan Akel; Fouad Sakr

doi:10.18549/PharmPract.2022.2.2653

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of Lebanese pharmacists in providing patient counseling on urinary tract infection and its treatment

Pharm Pract (Granada). 2022 Apr-Jun;20(2):2653. doi: 10.18549/PharmPract.2022.2.2653. Epub 2022 Mar 31.

Authors

Riham Sabra¹, Jihan Safwan², Mariam Dabbous³, Ahmad Rida⁴, Diana Malaeb⁵, Marwan Akel⁶, Fouad Sakr⁷

Affiliations

¹ RPh, PharmD. Clinical Pharmacist, MSc. Lebanese International University, School of Pharmacy, Beirut, Lebanon. 11510059@students.liu.edu.lb.
² RPh, PharmD. Clinical Associate Professor and Assistant Dean, Lebanese International University, School of Pharmacy, Beirut, Lebanon. jihan.safwan@liu.edu.lb.
³ RPh, PharmD. Clinical Associate Professor and Chairperson Pharmacy Practice Department, Lebanese International University, School of Pharmacy, Beirut, Lebanon. mariam.dabbous@liu.edu.lb.
⁴ RPh, MSc. Clinical Pharmacist, Lebanese International University, School of Pharmacy, Beirut, Lebanon, University of Strasbourg, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, CNRS UPR9002, Strasbourg, France. ahmadrida.medical@gmail.com.
⁵ RPh, PharmD, MSc, PhD. Clinical Associate Professor, Lebanese International University, School of Pharmacy, Beirut, Lebanon, INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d'Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut, Lebanon, Gulf Medical University, College of Pharmacy, Ajman, United Arab Emirates. diana.malaeb@liu.edu.lb.
⁶ RPh, PharmD, MPH, PhD. Clinical Associate Professor, Lebanese International University, School of Pharmacy, Beirut, Lebanon, INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d'Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut, Lebanon, International Pharmaceutical Federation, The Netherlands. marwan.akel@liu.edu.lb.
⁷ RPh, PharmD, MPH. Clinical Associate Professor, Lebanese International University, School of Pharmacy, Beirut, Lebanon, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, INSERM U955, Créteil, France. fouad.sakr@liu.edu.lb.

Abstract

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the second most common type of infections, accounting for about 7 million annual visits to health-care providers. Pharmacists have an important role in counseling patients about this disease.

Objectives: The study explored the Lebanese pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes and counseling practices (KAP) around UTI. The aim was to provide a better understanding on the pharmacist role in this context, and improve the patient care process and the health of the public.

Methods: A cross-sectional knowledge attitudes practice study was conducted and enrolled pharmacists who were practicing in the community setting. The questionnaire collected data about the sociodemographic characteristics, pharmacist's knowledge about UTIs, their attitudes and practice in providing patient counseling.

Results: A sample of 450 pharmacists was reached, the majority (>90%) of which had good knowledge about UTIs. Moreover, greater than 90% of pharmacists believe that UTIs are serious, and that being unhygienic is one of its causes (93.6%). The majority reported educating patients about the most common causes (90.4%), risk factors (88.4%) and preventive measures (95.1%) of UTIs. A mean score of 8.44 was reported for the knowledge score and multivariable linear regression has shown that female pharmacists have higher knowledge score than males. A significant association between having a PhD degree and believing that men are more prone to UTI. Furthermore, the province of the pharmacists' practice, being in Beirut, was positively and significantly correlated with better practice.

Conclusions: Lebanese pharmacists are well knowledgeable about UTIs and showed good attitude and practice in this field. This study provides insight for discussion with policy makers to upgrade legislation to enable pharmacists to legally prescribe antibiotics for uncomplicated UTIs, similar to other countries, to improve the patient care process and minimize the burden of the disease.

Keywords: Attitudes; Counseling; Knowledge; Pharmacist; Practice; Urinary Tract Infection.