TY - JOUR
T1 - Pharmacists’ Attitudes Towards Long-Term Use of Nasal Decongestants
T2 - A Cross-Sectional Study
AU - Mokhatrish, Mohammad M.
AU - Almatrafi, Sharif D.
AU - Aldrees, Turki M.
AU - Aldriweesh, Turki A.
AU - Alghamdi, Fahad M.
AU - Al-Dosary, Abdullah S.
AU - Alhumaydani, Naif K.
AU - Aldakkan, Osamah Z.
AU - Alrudian, Naif
AU - Ali, Ali Hassan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Mokhatrish et al.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Background: Rhinitis medicamentosa is a nonallergic inflammation of the nasal mucosa caused by topical decongestants overuse. It mainly affects young and middle-aged adults. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes of pharmacists regarding the utilization of over-the-counter intranasal decongestants. Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2021 to January 2022. The target population of the study included pharmacists who work in community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of having positive attitude towards controlling the use of decongestant. Results: A total of 220 participants were included in this study. Around 15.0% of them reported that ND come with a physician prescription. The majority of the participants (87.3%) reported that the less than 5 days is the maximum safe duration for the use of NDs. Overall, the study participants demonstrated moderately positive attitude towards controlling the use of decongestant with a mean attitude score of 2.5 (standard deviation: 1.2) out of 5; which represents 50.0% of the maximum score. Binary logistic regression analysis identified that pharmacists aged 31–40 years were two-folds more likely to have positive attitude towards controlling the use of decongestant compared to others (p<0.05). Around 45.9% of them reported that they recommend other over-the-counter treatments like nasal irrigation, nasal steroids, or antihistamine if they see a patient with RM asking for ND with or without prescription. Conclusion: The majority of pharmacists in Saudi Arabia demonstrated sufficient awareness and understanding on the adverse effects associated with the excessive use of NDs. Rhinitis medicamentosa can be avoided by appropriate measures, highlighting the importance of raising awareness about the excessive use of decongestants among healthcare professionals and patients alike.
AB - Background: Rhinitis medicamentosa is a nonallergic inflammation of the nasal mucosa caused by topical decongestants overuse. It mainly affects young and middle-aged adults. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes of pharmacists regarding the utilization of over-the-counter intranasal decongestants. Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2021 to January 2022. The target population of the study included pharmacists who work in community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of having positive attitude towards controlling the use of decongestant. Results: A total of 220 participants were included in this study. Around 15.0% of them reported that ND come with a physician prescription. The majority of the participants (87.3%) reported that the less than 5 days is the maximum safe duration for the use of NDs. Overall, the study participants demonstrated moderately positive attitude towards controlling the use of decongestant with a mean attitude score of 2.5 (standard deviation: 1.2) out of 5; which represents 50.0% of the maximum score. Binary logistic regression analysis identified that pharmacists aged 31–40 years were two-folds more likely to have positive attitude towards controlling the use of decongestant compared to others (p<0.05). Around 45.9% of them reported that they recommend other over-the-counter treatments like nasal irrigation, nasal steroids, or antihistamine if they see a patient with RM asking for ND with or without prescription. Conclusion: The majority of pharmacists in Saudi Arabia demonstrated sufficient awareness and understanding on the adverse effects associated with the excessive use of NDs. Rhinitis medicamentosa can be avoided by appropriate measures, highlighting the importance of raising awareness about the excessive use of decongestants among healthcare professionals and patients alike.
KW - attitude
KW - nasal decongestants
KW - pharmacist
KW - rhinitis medicamentosa
KW - Saudi Arabia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85187889756&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2147/JMDH.S451835
DO - 10.2147/JMDH.S451835
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85187889756
SN - 1178-2390
VL - 17
SP - 1079
EP - 1090
JO - Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare
JF - Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare
ER -