Beyond pillbox: a national cross-sectional study on the attitudes, practices, and knowledge of community pharmacists regarding complementary and alternative medicine.

BACKGROUND: While community pharmacists are uniquely positioned to promote the safe and effective use of complementary and alternative medicine, their potential role remains largely untapped. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to complementary and alternative medicine products among community pharmacists in the United Arab Emirates and explore the correlates of knowledge in the study sample. METHODS: Using a stratified random sampling frame, a national survey of community pharmacists was conducted in the United Arab Emirates. In a face-to-face interaction, participants completed a multi-component questionnaire consisting of four sections: sociodemographic and general characteristics; knowledge of complementary and alternative medicine products and usage; attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine and practices related to complementary and alternative medicine. Based on participants' answers, scores were calculated with higher scores indicating more positive knowledge, attitudes, and practices. RESULTS: 373 community pharmacists participated in the study (response rate: 83%). For the knowledge questions, more than 50% of community pharmacists correctly answered the functions of complementary and alternative medicine, however lower percentages were noted for the side effects and drug interactions questions. Most community pharmacists had positive attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine, except for particular aspects such as efficacy, where 40% agreed that complementary and alternative medicine is only effective in treating minor complaints. As for practices, while more than 70% of participants counseled patients on complementary and alternative medicine use, only 47% reported the toxic effects when encountered. Multiple linear regressions showed that community pharmacists working in independent pharmacies, those with fewer years of experience, and those who did not receive complementary and alternative medicine education during their academic degree had lower knowledge scores (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study showed that community pharmacists in the United Arab Emirates have good knowledge of complementary and alternative medicine functions and generally positive attitudes and practices, with few gaps identified in each. Together, these findings provide critical evidence for the development of targeted interventions to promote the role of community pharmacists towards safe and effective complementary and alternative medicine use in the country.

The Bahraini food based dietary guidelines: a holistic perspective to health and wellbeing.

The impact of food consumption extends well beyond the physical aspect of health to affect the mind, the society, and the environment. The biopsycho-ecological (BSE) theory recognizes the interplay between these factors and emphasizes the need for a holistic perspective to dietary recommendations. This manuscript presents a situation analysis of food consumption and diet-related diseases in Bahrain and describes the themes of the Bahraini Food based dietary guidelines (FBDG) and their alignment with the BSE constructs. Available data revealed low fruit and vegetable intake and excessive consumption of processed meat and sugary drinks in the country. These dietary habits are accompanied by a high burden of non-communicable diseases and their risk factors, anemia, and vitamin D deficiency. The Bahraini FBDG consisted of 11 context-specific themes and key messages that addressed the four dimensions of health depicted by the BSE theory, as follows: diet, physical activity, and food safety (body), physical activity, mindful eating and mental health (mind); family relations and cultural heritage (society), and food waste and environmental footprints of dietary intake (environment). The Bahraini FBDG present a model of dietary guidelines that adopted a holistic perspective to address health as they promote the role of food and dietary habits in maintaining the health of the body and that of the mind, the society, and the environment.