Evaluation of knowledge, experiences, and fear toward prescribing and dispensing corticosteroids among Egyptian healthcare professionals: A cross-sectional study

Muna Barakat; Noha O Mansour; Mohamed Hassan Elnaem; Samar Thiab; Rana Abu Farha; Malik Sallam; Ahmed Said Ali; Doaa H Abdelaziz

doi:10.1016/j.jsps.2023.101777

Evaluation of knowledge, experiences, and fear toward prescribing and dispensing corticosteroids among Egyptian healthcare professionals: A cross-sectional study

Saudi Pharm J. 2023 Oct;31(10):101777. doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2023.101777. Epub 2023 Sep 9.

Authors

Muna Barakat^{1

2}, Noha O Mansour³, Mohamed Hassan Elnaem⁴, Samar Thiab⁵, Rana Abu Farha¹, Malik Sallam^{6

7

8}, Ahmed Said Ali⁹, Doaa H Abdelaziz¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan.
² MEU Research Unit, Middle East University, Amman, Jordan.
³ Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
⁴ School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine BT52 ISA, United Kingdom.
⁵ Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman 11931, Jordan.
⁶ Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan.
⁷ Department of Clinical Laboratories and Forensic Medicine, Jordan University Hospital, Amman 11942, Jordan.
⁸ Department of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, 22184, Malmö, Sweden.
⁹ Faculty of medicine, Cairo university, Cairo, Egypt.
¹⁰ Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Future University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract

Background: Corticosteroids (CS) are essential drugs in the treatment of several medical conditions. Assuming different roles, physicians and pharmacists play a primary role in prescribing and dispensing these medications to optimize patients' clinical management. The data on assessing knowledge and experience of healthcare professionals toward CS is scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to assess and compare knowledge, experience, and fears towards CS among Egyptian physicians and pharmacists.

Methods: A cross-sectional, self-administrated, validated online questionnaire was used to collect the data from Egyptian healthcare professionals. The questionnaire consisted of four sections with multiple choice questions: sociodemographic (7 questions), knowledge about CS (13 questions), experience with CS prescription/dispensing (5 questions), and fears and preferences toward CS prescription/dispensing (13 questions). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data.

Results: A total of 600 responses were analyzed in this study. The study sample was almost two-half of healthcare providers: 303 (50.5%) pharmacists and 297 (49.5%) physicians. Pharmacists had marginally higher knowledge scores as compared to those recorded for physicians (11.29 versus 10.16, respectively; P = 0.047). Physicians had more experience choosing corticosteroids in treatment plans based on their experience (51.8% vs 38.5%) and guideline recommendations (72.8% vs 50.9%) than pharmacists. However, pharmacists had more experience dealing with corticosteroid use based on patients' preferences (19.5% vs 4.9%) and showed a broader scope of experiencing side effects of corticosteroids with their patients. The two professions demonstrated high levels of fear, with pharmacists acknowledging significantly lower concerns about CS than physicians (3.72 versus 4.0, respectively; P = 0.003).

Conclusion: Discrepancies exist among healthcare professionals in knowledge and experience, favoring better scientific knowledge of pharmacists related to corticosteroids. Based on these findings, the interprofessional collaborative efforts would provide comprehensive, patient-centered care that maximizes the benefits of CS while minimizing their risks.

Keywords: Corticosteroids; Egypt; Fear; Healthcare-Professionals; Knowledge.