Topical ocular anesthetic abuse among Iranian welders: Time for action

Sharifi, Ali; Sharifi, Hamid; Karamouzian, Mohammad; Mahmoud, Mohammad; Esmaeili, Hamidreza Hosein; Nejad, Afshin Sarafi; Rahmatian, Mohammad

doi:10.4103/0974-9233.120023

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…This has contributed to an increase in the incidence of antibiotic resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoea. 12,26 Therefore, policymakers should come up with strategies to limit such easy access to nonprescribed antibiotics in Iran. Most participants in our study reported seeking STIs care through the private sector.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Care Seeking Patterns of STIs-Associated Symptoms in Iran: Findings of a Population-Based Survey

Nasirian

Karamouzian

Kamali

et al. 2015

Int J Health Policy Manag

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Background: Understanding the prevalence of symptoms associated with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and how care is sought for those symptoms are important components of STIs control and prevention. People's preference between public and private service providers is another important part of developing a well-functioning STIs surveillance system. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was carried out in spring 2011, using a nonrandom quota sample of 1190 participants (52% female) in 4 densely-populated cities of Tehran, Kerman, Shiraz, and Babol. Two predictive logistic regression models were constructed to assess the association between the socio-demographic determinants (independent variables) and the dependent variables of history of STIs-associated symptom and seeking care. Results: Around 57% (677 out of 1190; men: 29.70% and women: 81.80%) had experienced at least one STIsassociated symptom during the previous year. History of experiencing STIs-associated symptoms among men, was negatively significantly associated with older age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.34, CI 95%: 0.17-0.67). Women who were married, in older ages, and had higher educations were more likely to report a recent (past year) STIs symptom, however all were statistically insignificant in both bivariate and multivariable models. Among those who have had STIs-associated symptoms in the last year, 31.15% did nothing to improve their symptoms, 8.03% attempted self-treatment by over-the-counter (OTC) medications or traditional remedies, and 60.93% sought care in health facilities. In both bivariate and multivariable analyses, care seeking among men was insignificantly associated with any of the collected demographic variables. Care seeking among women was positively significantly associated with being married (AOR = 2.48, 95% CI: 1.60-3.84). Conclusion:The reported prevalence of STIs-associated symptoms among our participants is concerning. A considerable number of participants had delayed seeking care and treatment or self-medicated. People should be informed about their sexual health and the consequences of delaying or avoiding seeking care for STIs. Participants preferred seeking care at private sectors which calls for engaging both public and private health sectors for reporting and following up STIs cases. Implications for policy makers• Unfolding these patterns of care seeking for sexually transmitted infections-associated (STIs-associated) symptoms among the general population can help policy-makers improve the quality of STIs care and treatment and provide a better provision over STIs services. • Policy-makers should prioritize establishment of a sentinel-based STIs case reporting system. • STIs prevalence assessment surveys among the general population would be a valuable asset in monitoring the trend of STIs across the country.• Policy-makers should monitor the pharmacies effectively and force them to stop selling non-prescribed antibiotics for STIs treatment. •The considerable prevalence of STIs-associated symptoms co...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Care Seeking Patterns of STIs-Associated Symptoms in Iran: Findings of a Population-Based Survey

Nasirian

Karamouzian

Kamali

et al. 2015

Int J Health Policy Manag

Self Cite

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“…In a survey study conducted in Miyun, a satellite city of Beijing, China, in 2012, out of 346 households, 75 had more than 5 episodes of self-treatments per person within 12 months ( 7 , 12 ). In a survey conducted in Iran on weld workers ( 27 ), 90% stated a preference for self-treatment, 84.5% had used folk treatments, and 90% of the drugs used came from the stock of home pharmacies. Another population who drew our attention is pregnant women.…”

Section: Prevalence Of Self-treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observations on the Prevalence, Characteristics, and Effects of Self-Treatment

Zhao

2016

Front. Public Health

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AimsWhen facing illness, a person may choose self-treatment as an alternative to hospital (and primary care)-based treatment. Despite its important role in health care, the study on self-treatment remains limited. The goal is to collectively report the observations in the literature on the prevalence, characteristics, and effects of self-treatment.MethodsDatabases (Medline/PubMed and Google Scholar) were searched. Articles were scrutinized for country of origin, sample size, recall period, prevalence, associated factors, etc.ResultsPublished studies have reported that in some regions, the prevalence of self-treatment is high and varies across illness conditions and treatment approaches. Self-medication is the most popular self-treatment approach. Multiple regional, demographic, personal, cultural, and religious factors have been implicated in the pursuit of self-treatment. In addition, accessibility of health care also plays a role. In general, self-treatment has a positive clinical and financial effect. However, there have been concerns on abuse and possible negative effects.ConclusionThis article reviews observations made in recent studies on several important aspects of self-treatment. Comprehensive and systematic study is still lacking. Interventions are needed to solve several problems associated with self-treatment.

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“…However, topical anesthetics can become drugs of misuse eventually leading to chronic pain syndromes and vision loss; therefore, these drugs should not be dispensed to patients (8) since the consequences of this inadmissible use except unwanted complications cannot be anything else. Also, the prolonged use of topical anesthetic eye drops may cause corneal erosions, including slow corneal wound healing (9,10). In the present study, corneal ulcer was found in 2.5% of the cases (4).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…Almost 90% of them stated a preference for selftreatment over seeking help from a physician due to cultural and financial reasons; also, the most commonly used topical anesthetic was tetracaine; most of the subjects (97.4%) had obtained the drugs from pharmacies without a prescription (10). In another study by Erdem and coworkers, the misuse of topical anesthetic eye drops abuse was shown from 12 eyes of 8 patients who were evaluated retrospectively, and one of the patients provided the drug with a primary care practitioner's prescription, but for the other 7 patients, it was available from pharmacies without prescription (11).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, Sharifi and colleagues studied the prevalence of topical ocular anesthetic abuse among welders in Iran; they found that from 390 welders included in the study, a total of 314 welders (80.5%) had used topical anesthetics at least once during their career (10). Almost 90% of them stated a preference for selftreatment over seeking help from a physician due to cultural and financial reasons; also, the most commonly used topical anesthetic was tetracaine; most of the subjects (97.4%) had obtained the drugs from pharmacies without a prescription (10).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Topical Anesthetic Misuse in Patients Admitted to Sabzevar Eye Clinic in Iran

Shirzadeh¹,

Shomoossi²,

Abdolahzadeh³

2016

Acta Facultatis Medicae Naissensis

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SU M M A RYTopical anesthetic eye drops are used extensively for ophthalmic examinations but selftreatment and non-technical removal of foreign bodies using tetracaine drops can be hazardous. The present study intended to determine the inadmissible uses of anesthetic tetracaine eye drops, manner of drug obtaining and likelihood of the ocular complications in the patients.This cross-sectional study was conducted on 162 patients with ocular pain and foreign body sensation, red eye or lid edema admitted to the Eye clinic in Sabzevar, Iran. Variables included age, sex, chief compliant, job, site of foreign bodies, diagnosis of problem, use of tetracaine drops, drug provision, times patients referred to the eye clinic, and kinds of treatment.The most common chief complaint for admission to the Eye clinic was lacrimation (55.6%), followed by ocular pain, and foreign body sensation (35.8%). Some patients (30.9%) (mostly welders) inadmissibly used topical tetracaine eye drops; 21.6% of cases obtained tetracaine eye drops from drugstores without doctor's prescription, and only 3.7% provided drugs by prescription. Corneal site (81.5%) was the most common location of foreign body; metallic foreign body (63%) was the most common. One patient was admitted in hospital for management.Topical inadmissible tetracaine (0.5%) is commonly used by welders, who obtain it from drugstores without prescriptions due to its simple usage and short acting pain relief. Supervision is required over drugstores for denying it if demanded without a prescription. Enhancing clients' awareness is also suggested.

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Topical ocular anesthetic abuse among Iranian welders: Time for action

Cited by 16 publications

References 28 publications

Care Seeking Patterns of STIs-Associated Symptoms in Iran: Findings of a Population-Based Survey

Care Seeking Patterns of STIs-Associated Symptoms in Iran: Findings of a Population-Based Survey

Observations on the Prevalence, Characteristics, and Effects of Self-Treatment

Topical Anesthetic Misuse in Patients Admitted to Sabzevar Eye Clinic in Iran

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