Introduction: Community pharmacists are often the first point of contact for the public, especially during pandemics. As outlined by the International Pharmaceutical Federation, community pharmacists have an important public health role during this Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency. We therefore investigated the current practices, response preparedness and professional development needs of community pharmacists in Qatar. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional online 38-item questionnaire-based survey constructed on evidence-based public health roles of pharmacists was conducted between 28 May and 18 June 2020. Questions related to current practices required responses on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from “always” to “never”. The questionnaire was evaluated for validity and the reliability analysis showed a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.921. Results: The response (n = 311) rate for the survey was 34.2%. More than 75% of pharmacists “always” encouraged and practiced hygiene and social distancing measures. On the other hand, the proportion of pharmacists “always” involved in patient assessment, education or providing information related to COVID-19 and application of evidence-based protocol ranged from 32 to 73%. The vast majority (87-96%) of pharmacists indicated that they needed professional development related to COVID-19. Overall, 77% of pharmacists either “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that they have all the necessary COVID-19 related emergency response preparedness and training. Country from which pharmacists obtained their first degree, and the type of pharmacy where they practice influenced their overall perception toward emergency response preparedness. Conclusions: Community pharmacists in Qatar are willing to receive additional training related to COVID-19 public health crisis despite being prepared to engage with patients.

Coadministration of azoles and vincristine has been shown to increase vincristine neurotoxic effects due to the inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoform 3A4, for which vincristine is a substrate. Despite the absence of any casual relationship between seizure and coadministration of azoles, few case reports of vincristine-induced seizure have been documented after coadministration of fluconazole or posaconazole in children. In this paper we are reporting the first young female adult who experienced generalized seizure after coadministration of posaconazole and vincristine. The 19-year-old female was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She started induction phase of Berlin Frankfurt Muenster protocol along with posaconazole 200 mg three times daily as prophylactic antifungal therapy. Five days after the third vincristine dose, she developed generalized seizure accompanied by high blood pressure and SIADH. Her neurological exam/CT scan did not show any abnormality. In conclusion, this study reports a novel finding in the sense that all previous case reports pertaining to posaconazole-vincristine-induced seizure in literature involved children. Physicians should be made aware of this rare possible outcome to closely monitor their patients and take appropriate measures to prevent such possible adverse effect.

Background The use of simulated patients (SPs) is considered a significant resource for teaching and assessing clinical and communication skills in health professional education. We conducted this study to explore pharmacy students’ perspective towards the utilization of SPs in Qatar and to identify areas that require improvement. Methods An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used among students and recent graduates of the College of Pharmacy at Qatar University (QU-CPH). First, their perspectives toward the current utilization of SPs at QU-CPH was explored using a quantitative cross-sectional study design. Following this, we conducted six focus group discussions based on the analysis of the questionnaire results. The findings of the two phases were interpreted through integration of the quantitative and qualitative phases. Results The majority of the participants (> 90%) reported that interactions with SPs are important in building good communication and counseling skills during professional skills course activities. Similarly, most of the respondents (80%) indicated that interactions with SPs prepared them to apply the clinical skills gained during professional skills and patient assessment sessions in real-life. In addition, they reported that interactions with SPs during competency-based assessments were good experiences. The participants disagreed with the notion that interaction with SPs of opposite gender was uncomfortable for them. Themes identified from the focus groups include: interactions with trained SPs compared to faculty SPs, standardization and consistency of SPs’ roles, communication and language barriers, simulations of real-life case scenarios, SPs’ competence and preparedness, psychological impact associated with interaction with SPs, proposed strategies for improving the SP program. Identified areas for improvement include the need for strengthening the SP training and orientation program as well as the SP selection criteria. Conclusion This study showed a positive impact of the utilization of SPs in this pharmacy curriculum as perceived by students and alumni. However, the SP program needs to be optimized in terms of the training and orientation of SPs.

Background Posaconazole (PSZ), is an antifungal prophylactic therapy that is used in haematological cancer patients. In 2010, PSZ was added to the formulary of the National Centre for Cancer Care & Research (NCCCR), the only adult cancer hospital in Qatar. Objective To conduct a drug use evaluation (DUE) study of PSZ at NCCCR. Method A retrospective, single centred, observational DUE study was conducted to include a convenient sample of haematological cancer patients who used PSZ prophylactically in 2010. All 31 patients were nominated; 20 patients profiles were reviewed. Data were collected using a pre-prepared collection sheet and descriptive analysis was performed. Results One patient was excluded as he was not a haematological cancer patient. All remaining 19 patients received PSZ for prophylaxis and were compliant. More than 50% of patients received proton pump inhibitors concurrently with PSZ. Only 1 case had a recorded recommendation regarding the administration of PSZ with food. Five patients received a vincristine based chemotherapy protocol, one of which developed seizures. Two patients developed mild breakthrough fungal infection while on PSZ. Conclusions The PSZ practice in NCCCR abides by its regulations of use. However, clear recommendations regarding administration of PSZ with meals is essential. PSZ co-administration with proton pump inhibitors should be either stopped or managed by PSZ therapeutic drug monitoring to avoid PSZ sub-therapeutic levels. Possible serious drug interactions in patients treated with vincristine based chemotherapy should be highlighted and monitored.

What is known and objective New pharmacy curricula include content that equip students with a bundle of professional and interpersonal skills that allows the provision of evidence‐based patient‐centred pharmaceutical care (PC). PC has been adopted as a practise model underpinning these new roles for pharmacists in developed countries. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that countries in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region have been relatively slow in including PC in pharmacy education. There seems to be a need to more accurately describe the extent to which PC is included in pharmacy education in the MENA region. The objective of this systematic review was (a) to determine the status of PC education in schools and colleges of pharmacy in the MENA region and (b) to identify pharmacy students' and/or educators' perceptions and attitudes towards PC, preparedness level to PC provision and perceived barriers to implement this practise model in countries of the MENA region. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, International Pharmaceutical Abstract and ProQuest databases to identify articles published from 2000 to 2021. Selection of studies for inclusion in the review was based on a pre‐determined eligibility criterion to retrieve original research articles addressing the review objectives. Results Nine articles were eligible for inclusion in the review. The majority of the studies (n = 8) employed a survey‐based research method. The studies were conducted in Jordan (n = 4), Kuwait (n = 2), Qatar (n = 2), Saudi Arabia (n = 1) and United Arab Emirates (n = 1). The findings suggest that pharmacy students had overall positive attitude and perception towards PC and some studies reported that students expressed good preparedness levels to implement most of the PC aspects. Several barriers to the implementation of PC were reported such as the slow educational reforms in pharmacy programs and a number of organizational and professional barriers. The studies provided recommendations for improvements in the pharmacy curricula to support pharmacy students' preparation to become competent PC practitioners. What is new and conclusion The literature describing PC education in the MENA region is limited. Joint efforts among educational institutions and health authorities are needed to support PC implementation. There is a need to conduct further research to explore the status of PC education and practise in the different countries within the MENA region. This can drive future directions of pharmacy education to meet the needs of the pharmacy profession and healthcare systems in these countries.