A national survey on assessment of knowledge, perceptions, practice, and barriers among hospital pharmacists towards medication reconciliation in United Arab Emirates.

Medication reconciliation (MedRec) helps prevent medication errors. This cross-sectional, nationwide study assessed the knowledge, perceptions, practice, and barriers toward MedRec amongst hospital pharmacy practitioners in the United Arab Emirates. A total of 342 conveniently chosen stratified hospital pharmacists responded to the online survey (88.6% response rate). Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test were applied at alpha = 0.05 and post hoc analysis was performed using Bonferroni test. The overall median knowledge score was 9/12 with IQR (9-11) with higher levels among clinical pharmacists (p < 0.001) and previously trained pharmacists (p < 0.001). Of the respondents, 35.09% (n = 120) practiced MedRec for fewer than five patients per week despite having a strong perception of their role in this process. The overall median perception score was 32.5/35 IQR (28-35) with higher scores among clinical pharmacists (p < 0.001) and those who attended previous training or workshops (p < 0.001). The median barrier score was 24/30 with an IQR (21-25), where lack of training and knowledge were the most common barriers. Results showed that pharmacists who did not attend previous training or workshops on MedRec had higher barrier levels than those who attended (p = 0.012). This study emphasizes the significance of tackling knowledge gaps, aligning perceptions with practice, and suggesting educational interventions.

Prevalence of dyslipidemia and factors affecting lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes.

AIM: Dyslipidemia is an established marker for endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular risk in diabetes. So we aimed to explore the prevalence of dyslipidemia in patients with type2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and to determine the association between dyslipidemia and other health care and biochemical indicators. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out at private health care center. A total of 291 diabetic patients aged 18 years and above attended the clinic from August 2017 through April 2018 were included. Socio-demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were obtained from the medical records of patients. Statistical analysis was carried out using (SPSS, version 23). RESULTS: out of the 291 diabetes patients recruited 22.3% had hypercholesterolemia (TC ≥ 200) and 61.9% had hypertriglyceridemia. Abnormal LDL-C levels (≥130) were found in 8.9% of patients and HDL-C was less than 40 mg/dl in 54.3%. There was a statistically significant difference (P = 0.048) in abnormal HDL levels (˂ 40 mg/dl) among females (59.3%) and males (47.6). Patients with HbA1c values ≥ 7.0%had significantly higher values of total cholesterol (TC) and abnormal LDL-C compared with the patients who had HbA1c ˂ 7.0%. CONCLUSION: dyslipidemia is highly prevalent among diabetic population particularly in those with poorly controlled diabetes. This calls for early and universal screening of lipid profile. There is also an urgent demand for measures that target tight glycemic, optimal lipid profile control and life style modifications is also required to all diabetic patients to achieve target value of HbA1C ≤ 7.

Evaluation of Bloodletting Cupping Therapy in the Management of Hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Bloodletting cupping therapy (Hijama) is a traditional alternative medicine practiced in different cultures. Claims about the therapeutic efficacy of Hijama in hypertension are contradictory. The aim of this project was to determine if Hijama therapy is beneficial in the treatment of patients with hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 60 files for patients treated for hypertension, aged 40-60 years and whose systolic blood pressure (SBP) is at least 140mm Hg, were used. The data from 30 patient files were obtained from three licensed Hijama centers (study group), whereas data from the rest of 30 patient files were collected from a hospital (control group). The data from Hijama centers included age, date of Hijama therapy, and blood pressure measured before each Hijama session. Both diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and SBP data were obtained over 3-month period. RESULTS: The results showed a significant reduction in SBP (P value < 0.01) over three sessions of wet cupping (from 149.2 to 130.8mm Hg), but this was not significant for DBP over three sessions (P = 0.074). The study also found that the mean SBP in the study group was 9.6mm Hg less than that in the control group (130.8 vs. 140.4mm Hg, P = 0.019), whereas there was no significant difference in DBP between the study group and the control group (87.0 vs. 86.0mm Hg, P = 0.75). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows clear relationship between Hijama and the reduction and control of SBP in patients with hypertension. Therefore, Hijama can be used as an adjunct to conventional therapy, which may allow downtitration of given doses of antihypertensive drugs. The possible association of SBP reduction by Hijama and pain reduction needs an investigation.