ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to compare the knowledge, attitude and barriers of pharmacy technicians and pharmacists toward pharmacovigilance, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and ADR reporting in community pharmacies in Yemen.MethodsThis cross-sectional survey was conducted among community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the capital of Yemen, Sana’a. A total of 289 community pharmacies were randomly selected. The validated and pilot-tested questionnaire consisted of six sections: demographic data, knowledge about pharmacovigilance, experience with ADR reporting, attitudes toward ADR reporting, and the facilitators to improve ADR reporting.ResultsA total of 428 pharmacy technicians and pharmacists were contacted and 179 went on to complete a questionnaire (response rate: 41.8%). Of the 179 respondents, 21 (11.7%) were pharmacists and 158 (88.3%) were pharmacy technicians, of which, 176 (98.3%) were male and 3 (1.7%) were female. The mean age of the respondents was 25.87±2.63 years. There was a significant difference between the pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in terms of knowledge scores (P<0.05). The mean knowledge scores for pharmacists was 3.33±2.852 compared to 0.15±0.666 for pharmacy technicians. With regard to attitudes toward ADR reporting, all pharmacists (100%) showed a positive attitude, while only 43% of pharmacy technicians showed a positive attitude.ConclusionPharmacists have a significantly better knowledge than pharmacy technicians with regard to pharmacovigilance. More than half of pharmacy technicians showed a negative attitude toward ADR reporting. Therefore, educational interventions and training is very important for community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Yemen to increase their awareness and participation in ADR reporting.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the completeness and legibility of prescriptions dispensed in community pharmacies located in Sana’a, Yemen. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at 23 randomly selected community pharmacies throughout the capital city of Sana’a, Yemen, from May 2015 to January 2016. A total of 2,178 prescriptions were analyzed for the essential elements of a complete prescription using a validated checklist. Results: Of the 2,178 prescriptions, 19 (0.87%) were considered to be of good quality. The remaining 2,159 (99.12%) were considered as being of very poor quality. Writing errors relating to patients and prescribed medications were the most common errors. Conclusion: In this study, the quality of prescription writing was found to be very poor. Hence, continuous professional development programs are recommended to improve the quality of prescription writing among physicians. Future studies in other cities and investigation of the impact of continuous educational programs on the quality of prescription writing are strongly recommended.

Objectives: This study was aimed to explore the knowledge and beliefs of patients in Ibb, Yemen, regarding generic medicines and identify factors affecting their use of these medicines. Methods: A mixed qualitative and quantitative study was conducted between Jan 1 and Mar 31, 2017 in Ibb, Yemen. A total of 310 patients participated in this study. The questionnaire used for data collection comprised of two sections. The first section covered participants' demographic information and contained six questions addressing patients' ability to differentiate between generic and brand-name medications. The second section comprises 15 items regarding patients' beliefs about generic medicines, answered using a five-point Likert scale. Additionally, seven patients were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide to explore further the factors affecting their generic medicine use. Results: Only 17.4% of patients knew the difference between generic and brand-name medicines. Approximately 59 (19%) patients believed that generic medicines' efficacy was the same as that of brand-name medicines, while 42 (13.5%) believed that generic medicines took longer to take effect. The vast majority of patients (252) (81.3%) believed that generic medicines were appropriate for less serious medical conditions. Only 84 patients (27.1%) believed that generic medications were the same as brand-name ones. Furthermore, the majority of patients held negative beliefs about generic medicines. The study also found that the price of medicines, physicians' recommendations, and pharmacy dispensers contributed to patients' use of generic medications. Conclusion: This study found that Yemen patients have insufficient knowledge of and negative beliefs about generic medicines. Special oriented and well-designed programs to educate and improve patients and healthcare professionals' understanding and beliefs about generic medicines are urgently needed.

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This study explored the adverse reactions/effects prevalence, types, duration, and severity of inactivated novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) vaccine among adult frontline health care professionals and educators. A total of A total of 49 frontline workers in Fujairah, UAE (37 health care professionals and 12 educators) were interviewed over a period of three months. All participants were reported that they experienced at least one adverse reaction/effect. The range of COVID-19 vaccine adverse reactions/effects were one to three adverse effects Pain at the vaccine injection site reported by 49 out of 49 participants; swelling/redness of the vaccine injection site reported by 45 out of 49; fatigue reported by 19 out of 49; headache reported by eight; fever reported by one participant. Majority of the reported adverse reactions were described as moderate or mild and the duration was between one day and one week.