Journal of Pharmacovigilance

Abstract

National Survey of Drug Information Centers Practice in Saudi Arabia: Drug Monitoring and Patient Counseling at Ministry of Health Hospitals

Yousef Ahmed Alomi, Saeed Jamaan Alghamdi and Radi Abdullah Alattyh

Objective: To explore the National Survey of Drug Information Centers practice in Saudi Arabia: Drug Monitoring and Patient Counseling at Ministry of Health Hospitals.
Methods: It is a cross-sectional four months national survey of Drug Information Services at Ministry of Health. It contained ten domains with 181 questions designed by the authors. It derived from Internal Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), American Society of Health-System Pharmacists best practice guidelines. This survey distributed to forty hospital pharmacies that run drug information services. In this study, the domain Drug Monitoring and Patient Counseling System explored and analyzed. It consisted of eight questions about the written policy and procedure and application methods for Drug Monitoring and Patient Counseling system in the drug information centers. All analysis is done through survey monkey system.
Results: The survey distributed to forty-five of hospitals, the response rate, was 40 (88.88%) hospitals. Of those; the highest percentages of implementation of adverse reaction monitoring was ADR reporting forms are available did not exist in 3 (7.5%) hospitals while 29(72.5%) of hospitals 100% applied the elements. The highest scores of implementation of the medications errors program were Definition of a significant medication error, the time frame for reporting and reporting format did not exist in 3 (7.5%) hospitals while 27 (67.5%) of hospitals 100% applied the elements. The highest percentages of implementation of patient counseling were the Proper storage of the medication did not exist in 6 (15%) hospitals while only 20 (50%) of hospitals 100% applied the elements.
Conclusion: There was a real application of drug monitoring and patient medication counseling system in drug information centers practice. Continues keep up with these levels is required with regular investigation of network drug information centers at Ministry of Health hospitals is preferable.