The extent of awareness of southern Jordanian people to thedifference between venous thrombosis and arterial thrombosis / El grado de concienciación de los habitantes del sur de Jordania sobre la diferencia entre trombosis venosa y trombosis arterial

Objective: Venous thrombosis (VTE) and arterial thrombosis are two different diseases. Although they differ in causes, types, and treatment, they share many risk factors. Many people are not able to differentiate between them. So assessing the awareness of people toward these two diseases and determining the variables that affect their awareness was the aim of the study. Methods: This is a cross-sectional validated questionnaire which was conducted on social media. It targeted the southern Jordanian public above 18 years between October and December 2022. Results: A total of 630 people participated in the current study. Only 42.2% knew the cause of arterial thrombosis compared to 58.7% in case of venous thrombosis. More than half (63.2%) of the participants knew that there is a difference between venous and arterial thrombosis. DVT (36.8%) and PE (23%) were correctly identified as types of VTE, while only myocardial infarction was identified as a type of arterial thrombosis by 52.2% of respondents. About 69.5% and 80.2% of respondents think that venous and arterial thrombosis are fatal, respectively. Regarding the socio-demographic variables that affect the awareness of the public, old age, high educational level, working, and earning at least 500 JD per month were significantly associated with better awareness of the study population about venous and arterial thrombosis with a p-value of 0.0027, < 0.001, 0.0017, and < 0.001 respectively. Conclusion: The current study reveals that there is a lack of awareness about VTE and arterial thrombosis and the difference between them among the southern Jordanian public. VTE and arterial thrombosis are preventable diseases, so more attention should be given by increasing the educational campaign and the initiatives of public health about the difference between them in terms of signs and symptoms, risk factors, and complications.(AU)

Assessment of the knowledge and practice of Jordanian family medicine practitioners regarding vitamin B12 screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus patients on metformin

Background: Metformin is one of the most important treatments for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Mostly metformin has a safe profile but in some cases, it may cause some serious long-term hematological and neurological side effects mainly due to vitamin B12 deficiency. It is proven that there is a strong association between B12 deficiency and hematological and neurological manifestations, especially for T2DM patients on metformin. Hence, the American Diabetic Association (ADA) recommends vitamin B12 screening for those on metformin for a long duration. Objectives: To evaluate the knowledge and practice of family physicians among diabetic patients on metformin, and to evaluate the factors that enhance and prevent vitamin B12 screening. Method: A validated questionnaire was designed and distributed online for family medicine practitioners between the period of in June and September 2022. 147 family physicians participated in the study. A scoring system was used to calculate the knowledge, practice, and total scores. Results: The results reveal a high total knowledge score among participants about vitamin B12 manifestations and screening in T2DM patients. However, only half of the participants follow the ADA recommendations routinely (53.06)%. The total practice score is low as most participants (87.7%) answer only 9 of 18 questions correctly. Moreover, the results show that those who follow ADA recommendations routinely have better knowledge and practice scores (p-value 0.00406). Conclusion: More awareness about ADA recommendations and the practice of vitamin B12 screening in T2DM patients who use metformin for family physicians is required, either by encouraging them to order B12 through workshops and continuous learning programs or by the availability of tools needed to test B12 (AU)

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Pharmacovigilance and ADRs Spontaneous Reporting Among Pediatricians and Pediatric Residents in Jordan.

INTRODUCTION: Pharmacovigilance (PV) is the science responsible for ADRs reporting and accordingly medication safety. Pediatrics age group is a special concern as they have a higher risk of developing ADRs; this put more burden on pediatricians for early detection and reporting of ADRs. The present study aims to explore pediatricians' knowledge, attitude, and practices of pharmacovigilance. METHOD: A structured validated questionnaire was designed to achieve the study goals. A convenient sample of 142 pediatricians took part in the study. RESULTS: The majority of pediatricians had a poor knowledge score about pharmacovigiliance and ADRs reporting. On the other hand, 71% of respondents had a good attitude score towards reporting ADRs. When exploring their own practice, pediatricians have a low reporting rate. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study reveal that pediatricians lack knowledge of PV and ADRs reporting. However, they have a good attitude towards ADRs reporting and enhancing their PV practice. This is still not reflected in their own practice. Further training and education about ADRs reporting are very important to move toward safer medications in children.