RESUMO
Introduction: Despite limited evidence about the efficacy and safety of dietary supplements (DSs) for improving mental health, people with or without mental disorders often tend to use them, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies focused on DS use for maintaining or improving overall health; Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of DSs for mental health among the SA population and to determine the factors that affect their use. Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on an online survey of Saudi Arabian participants between July and August 2021 with an anonymous, self-completed questionnaire distributed using convenience sampling. The questionnaire included queries related to demographic information, DS use assessment, and mental health evaluation using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7), questionnaire, and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Results: In total, 443 participants from various regions of Saudi Arabia completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of DS use in the Saudi population was 44%. Vitamin D (28%) and melatonin (20%) were the most commonly reported DSs used for mental health. The odds of DS use were three times higher in responders with previous mental health diagnoses (OR: 2.972; 95% CI: 1.602-5.515). Furthermore, the chances of using DSs almost doubled in patients with sub-threshold and moderate to severe insomnia (OR: 1.930; 95% CI: 1.191-3.126 and OR: 2.485; 95% CI: 1.247-4.954, respectively). Conclusion: Responders diagnosed by a specialist with psychiatric disorders or current insomnia had a higher chance of using DSs. Thus, healthcare providers must provide evidence-based information regarding DSs for mental health improvement and encourage the public to consult healthcare professionals before self-medicating for mental health problems.
RESUMO
Background: The quadripartite mission of clinical track faculty members involves research, teaching, services, and direct patient care. However, the extent of faculty involvement in direct patient care remains a challenge. Thus, the study's objective is to evaluate the effort spent on direct patient care by clinical faculty of pharmacy schools in Saudi Arabia (S.A.) and identify factors that hinder or facilitate providing direct patient care services. Methods: This multi-institutional, cross-sectional questionnaire study conducted between July 2021 and March 2022 involved several pharmacy schools' clinical pharmacy faculty members in S.A. The primary outcome was the percentage of time/effort spent on patient care services and other academic responsibilities. The secondary outcomes were the factors affecting the effort spent on direct patient care and the barriers preventing the provision of clinical services. Results: A total of 44 faculty members took the survey. The percentage of effort spent on clinical education was highest at a median (IQR) of 37.5 (30, 50), followed by that spent on patient care [19 (10, 28.75)]. The percentages of effort spent on education and the length of academic experience were negatively associated with efforts spent on direct patient care. The most commonly reported barrier affecting fulfilling patient care duties was the lack of a clear practice policy (68%). Conclusion: Although most clinical pharmacy faculty members were involved in direct patient care, half of them devoted only 20% or less of their time to it. An effective effort allocation for clinical faculty duties will require the development of a clinical faculty workload model that sets realistic expectations about the time spent on clinical and non-clinical duties.