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BACKGROUND: Vincristine is a vital constituent of chemotherapeutic regimens. Vincristine-induced neuropathy is a challenging adverse effect that impacts quality of life and treatment course. The dose rounding of chemotherapies is a strategy that is commonly used in clinical practice. Nevertheless, the frequency of developed neuropathy in vincristine first-time users and the potential association with dose rounding remains elusive. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients administered vincristine for the first time between 2016 and 2022 using the King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC) database. Patients were stratified into pediatric and adult groups. Neuropathy frequency, its association with demographic and clinical parameters, and the Impact of dose rounding were assessed using SPSS software version 28. RESULTS: Approximately 34.6% of patients were diagnosed with neuropathy after vincristine administration. Autonomic neuropathy was common among affected adults and pediatric patients (55.1% and 56.1%, respectively), while cranial neuropathy was more frequent in pediatric patients. Higher BSA (p = 0.038) and Scr (p = 0.044) in the pediatric group, the presence of respiratory comorbidities (p = 0.044), and the use of azole antifungals (p < 0.001) in the adult group were significantly associated with neuropathy episodes. The rounding-up of vincristine doses was significantly associated with increased neuropathy occurrence (p < 0.001), while dose rounding-down was significantly associated with a decrease in neuropathy in both groups of patients (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that autonomic neuropathy is the most common vincristine-related neuropathy, regardless of the patient's age. Dose rounding is a significant determinant of vincristine-induced neuropathy in both groups. Further studies are needed to evaluate the variables that exacerbate or prevent neuropathy associated with the first-time use of vincristine.
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Purpose: The Saudi Pharmacist Licensure Examination (SPLE) has been mandated by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) for three and a half years; however, colleges of pharmacy and/or pharmacy organizations in Saudi Arabia have yet to implement a comprehensive review program to help prospective graduates to succeed. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of an integrated program designed to enhance students' performance on the SPLE. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the impact of integrating SPLE review activities (clinical review quizzes (CRQs), disease state presentations (DSPs), a Capstone OSCE, and a mock SPLE) on students' SPLE results and perceptions of their SPLE preparation and performance. Student scores from the review activities were analyzed and an anonymous, voluntary survey was used to assess the impact of these activities on student readiness levels and performance on the SPLE. Results: A total of 127 Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) students were included in the study. The average scores for the mock SPLE, DSPs, and Capstone OSCE were (55.8% ± 8.55), (91.3% ± 7.17), and (95.2% ± 6.90), respectively. Approximately 50% of the students responded to the survey. Most students had taken and passed the SPLE on the first attempt (94.6%) with an average score of 635.7 ± 39.4 (â¼79%). Over 60% and 70% of students recommended the SPLE CRQs activity and the DSP activity, respectively. With respect to mock SPLE, 60.9% believed that it provided an idea of what to expect on the SPLE and 54.7% recommended to add the Capstone OSCE into the curriculum. Overall, the majority of students would recommend these activities be incorporated in the college of pharmacy curriculum in order to better prepare pharmacy graduates for the SPLE. Conclusion: Prospective graduates from Saudi universities may benefit from college of pharmacy-organized SPLE reviews. Based on this study's findings, a comprehensive review course including a mock SPLE and disease state presentations is recommended. In addition, SPLE review lectures, CRQs, and a Capstone OSCE may provide additional benefit.
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Introduction: Despite the public routine use of aspirin as cardio-prophylaxis agent, its use is only recommended in particular situations, and not as usual primary prevention. Only few local studies investigate the use of aspirin in patients with certain diseases, but not within the public population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of aspirin use and identify the demographic and clinical characteristics among Saudi users. Methodology: A cross-sectional study targeting Saudi adults in Saudi Arabia was conducted over a period of four months in 2021 using online Google forms. The study collected data to assess the prevalence of use, use of aspirin according to prevention type, users' characteristics and comorbidities. Additionally, a self-assessment of knowledge, perception, reasons and attitude towards aspirin use among Saudi adults was conducted. A chi-square test was used to determine the association between the variables. A P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of aspirin use was 47%. Regarding the self-assessed aspirin knowledge, the majority of the respondents (n = 481; 62.4 %) found to have good knowledge. Less than half of the participants (n = 341; 44%) use aspirin as primary prevention agent while only 23 participants (2.9%) use aspirin as secondary prevention agent. There was a significant difference between gender and user type (p = 0.001). With regards to comorbidities, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and obesity were common among the primary users of aspirin. Significant associations were found (p = 0.001) between participant's user type and the following characteristics such as smoking status, past medical history, presence of comorbidities. Conclusion: Aspirin use is commonly prevalent Saudi population with good level of knowledge of the therapy; however, its popular use as primary preventive agent for CVD may necessitate medical advice based on the level of cardiovascular risk.
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Background: The role of community pharmacists (CPs) in various healthcare settings is well documented in the literature including providing safe and easy access to medications. Oral contraceptives (OCPs) are the most frequently used method of terminating unwanted pregnancies worldwide. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the Community pharmacist's knowledge, willingness, and readiness to prescribe OCPs in Saudi communities in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is across sectional, self-administered questionnaire-based study conducted between May and November 2021 in the central region of Saudi Arabia. The results were presented as frequencies and percentages. Chi-square tests were used to sort significant association between groups. Results: Out of 368 CPs who got the questionnaire, 347 completed (94.3%). Most of CPs were be-tween the ages of 25 and 35, with 76.9% working in chain pharmacies. Of the surveyed CPs, 45.5% had >24 months of experience in community pharmacies. 41.8% of them prescribed more than six prescriptions for OCPs/week. The patients' safety (77.2%), physician's resistance (54.5%), and CPs objection based on religious purposes (36.9%) and lack of time (29.7%) were the most commonly cited barriers among CPs. CPs who worked in chain pharmacies were significantly too busy (p = 0.038) to prescribe OCPs. Also, community pharmacists with experience of more than two years significantly agreed not to prescribe OCPs due to religious convictions (p = 0.009). Conclusion: The current study revealed that most of the CPs were knowledgeable about OCPs. Additionally, most of them were likely to prescribe oral contraceptives. We further suggest overcoming the barriers associated with contraceptives among CPs and providing sufficient training to improve the oral contraceptive prescriptions in CPs is needed.