Evaluation of the knowledge, practices, and attitudes of community pharmacists towards adverse effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most commonly used over-the-counter medications for the treatment of pain, fever, and inflammation. Gastrointestinal problems and renal complications are the most frequently observed adverse effects associated with NSAID usage. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the levels of knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding the adverse effects of non-prescription NSAIDs among community pharmacists in Egypt.

Methods

A 4-month cross-sectional survey, including licenced community pharmacists in Egypt, was conducted. The anonymous Google Forms survey was accompanied by a cover letter explaining its purpose. The survey link was sent to 2000 verified community pharmacist email addresses with clear instructions to complete and submit the questionnaire within 3 weeks. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted using IBM-SPSS version 26. The means of variables were compared using analysis of variance test. Pearson correlation was employed to assess the level of linear association between the overall knowledge, practice, and attitude scores. P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Approximately 80% of community pharmacists in Egypt exhibit moderate-to-good knowledge regarding the adverse effects of NSAIDs. Additionally, 60.6% of them demonstrated a positive attitude and 80.9% showed moderate-to-good practice scores towards preventing such adverse effects. The education level was the only demographic factor with significant effects on the NSAIDs-related knowledge, practice, and attitude scores. Community pharmacists primarily rely on internet sources for knowledge updates. Additionally, there was a significant positive linear correlation between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.384, P < 0.001), knowledge and practice (r = 0.178, P < 0.001), and between attitude and practice (r = 0.311, P < 0.001) among the participants.

Conclusion

Community pharmacists have a vital responsibility to perform screenings, assess patient risk elements, and share knowledge to guarantee the appropriate and safe utilisation of NSAIDs. Given that internet sources are presently the most accessible and used sources of information, governmental directions should prioritise the establishment and enhancement of freely accessible drug information sources for community pharmacists. Further research is necessary to assess the effectiveness of counselling and appropriate guidance provided by community pharmacies in promoting safe and proper drug usage.

Keywords:

• NSAID
• Adverse events
• Community pharmacists
• Knowledge
• Practice
• Attitudes
• Over-the-counter

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all community pharmacists for sharing the information and Pharm.D. students, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ahram Canadian University, for participating in this study.

Author contributions

H.E.B. devised the main conceptual ideas and designed the study. C.N.A. conducted the data collection under the supervision of H.E.B. H.E.B. and S.S.I conducted the data analyses. H.E.B. wrote the manuscript. S.S.I. revised the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Funding

Open access funding provided by The Science, Technology & Innovation Funding Authority (STDF) in cooperation with The Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB). This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Availability of data and materials

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the authors upon reasonable request.

Declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Ahram Canadian University thoroughly examined and granted approval for the study protocol and questionnaire (ACU-REC1623).

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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