Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Survey of Medication Safety among
Community Pharmacists in Aden-Yemen
Abstract
Rationale, aims and objectives: The participation of all health
professionals is essential for ensuring a quality and successful
national postmarketing surveillance program. The aim of this study was
to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among Yemeni
community pharmacists (CPs) regarding medication safety in a
poor-resource setting. Methods: A survey was conducted among CPs in Aden
governorate. The tool comprised of: demographic profile, knowledge-,
attitude- and practice-aspects of medication safety. The survey also
studied the opinion about future and benefits of ADR reporting in Yemen.
The data collected from the questionnaires was analyzed using the
Statistical Package for Social Science version 21.0. Descriptive
statistics such as frequencies, percentages, and means (SD) were used in
the analysis. Results: A total of 450 CPs were enrolled in the study.
Most of the participants were males (75%) with a bachelor’s degree
(91.9%) and between 3-6 years of experience (28%). The majority of CPs
had good knowledge regarding the perception and objectives of PV as well
as ADRs. Approximately 41% of participants knew the purpose of PV as an
essential system for public health and safety with regard to drug use.
Additionally, the Yemeni pharmacists had a positive attitude towards the
reporting system. Approximately 84% of responders admitted that PV is
the responsibility of the pharmacists. The majority of the participants
(80%) declared that there is no reporting form available at their
workplace. According to CPs, 59% said that ADR reporting in Yemen is
not widely promoted by relevant authorities, and 57% replied that lack
of information provided by the patient is an obstacle in the reporting
system. Approximately 89% of the CPs believed that reporting ADRs would
improve patient safety. Conclusions: The CPs have a positive attitude
towards PV and an acceptable degree of knowledge. However, the practice
level should be upraised.