Exploring ADHD understanding and stigma: Insights from an online survey in Lebanon.

Background: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder. Public knowledge of ADHD plays a crucial role in shaping attitudes, reducing stigma, and fostering a supportive environment for individuals with this disease. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and stigma of the general Lebanese population regarding ADHD and identify potential factors associated with these variables.

Adherence to treatment and harmful effects of medication shortages in the context of severe crises: scale validation and correlates.

Background: Medication shortage is a public health problem, affecting patients' outcomes mainly through the difficulty in maintaining adherence, particularly in the context of a severe economic crisis. There is a need for a new scale that assesses the effect of medication shortage on adherence.

Aim: To develop and validate a scale to evaluate the harmful impact of medication shortage among the general Lebanese population and assess its correlates and association with medication adherence.

Opioid use disorder in two samples of the Lebanese population: scale validation and correlation with sleep and mood disorders.

Background: The revised Opioid Risk Tool (ORT-OUD) is a brief, self-report scale designed to provide clinicians with a simple, validated method to screen for the risk of developing an Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) in patients without a prior history of substance abuse. This study aimed to translate and validate the Arabic version of ORT-OUD in the Lebanese population and assess its clinical validity in a sample of patients with OUD.

Methods: This cross-sectional study in the Lebanese population used several validated scales to assess the risk of OUD, including the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST).

Assessing and validating the specialized competency framework for pharmacists in sales and marketing (SCF-PSM): a cross-sectional analysis in Lebanon.

Objectives: Competencies refer to the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors individuals develop through education, training, and experience. These competencies can be formulated into a framework to support practitioner development for effective and sustained performance. In the absence of a national framework for pharmacy education and practice in Lebanon, the Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon (OPL, the official association of pharmacists in Lebanon) pioneered the development of a pharmacy competency framework in 2017.

Academic pharmacist competencies in ordinary and emergency situations: content validation and pilot description in Lebanese academia.

Background: In the absence of a similar study in the Lebanese context, this study aimed to validate the content of the specialized competencies frameworks of academic pharmacists (educators, researchers, and clinical preceptors) and pilot their use for practice assessment in the context of multiple severe crises.

Methods: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted between March and September 2022 among academic pharmacists enrolled by snowball sampling using a questionnaire created on Google Forms.

Results: The suggested frameworks had appropriate content to assess the competencies of academic pharmacists.

Development and validation of the Socioeconomic Status Composite Scale (SES-C).

Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) is a critical multifactorial determinant of health and plays a significant role in shaping an individual's health outcomes. While a composite scale has been proposed to measure SES in children, to our knowledge, limited composite scales were developed for adults in different contexts, highlighting the need for a comprehensive and valid SES measure to elucidate the relationship between SES and health in this population.

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a composite scale that measures the socioeconomic status in Lebanon and assess its correlates in a socioeconomic crisis context.

The specialized competency framework for industry pharmacists (SCF-IP): validation and pilot assessment.

Objectives: This study aimed to validate a specialized competency framework for industry pharmacists and assess correlates related to the competency domains in a pilot sample.

Methods: A team of experts assessed the old framework and improved its content validity after a thorough literature review, using the Delphi technique. Domains and their respective competencies and behaviors were re-defined in the framework.

Validation of the specialized competency framework for pharmacists in hospital settings (SCF-PHS): a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: This study aimed to validate the content of the specialized competency frameworks for pharmacists working in hospital settings (hospital and clinical pharmacists) and pilot the frameworks for practice assessment.

Methods: This online cross-sectional study was carried out between March and October 2022 among a sample of 96 Lebanese pharmacists working in hospital settings. The frameworks were distributed to full-time hospital and clinical pharmacists, who filled them out according to their role in the hospital.

The specialized competency framework for community pharmacists (SCF-CP) in Lebanon: validation and evaluation of the revised version.

Background: In the absence of similar studies in Lebanon, this study aimed at upgrading and validating the Lebanese specialized competencies framework for community pharmacists (SCF-CP) as a tool to transform community practice and support the professional development and career progression of community pharmacists.

Methods: Content validity was assessed and improved through a team of experts. After a thorough literature review and utilizing the Delphi technique, six domains were defined in the framework, with their respective competencies and behaviors.

Specialized competency framework for pharmacists in managerial positions in sales and marketing (SCF-PMSM): development, validation, and correlates.

Background: Pharmacists in sales and marketing roles need specific skills for managerial positions, and a framework for evaluating and developing these competencies is necessary. Currently, no such framework is known to exist.

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a specialized competency framework for pharmacists in sales and marketing managerial positions and assess correlates related to the competency domains.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of the General Population toward the Old-New Outbreak of Cholera in a Developing Country.

In October 2022, the first case of cholera since 1993 was recorded in Lebanon. This study aimed to develop and validate a tool to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward cholera infection and its prevention among the general population in Lebanon and identify the associated factors related to the KAP assessment to guide prevention and awareness strategies. The nation's already precarious healthcare system might become overwhelmed by the response to the cholera outbreak.

Mechanisms of Neurorespiratory Toxicity Induced by Fentanyl Analogs-Lessons from Animal Studies.

In 2020, fentanyl and its analogs contributed to ~65% of drug-attributed fatalities in the USA, with a threatening increasing trend during the last ten years. These synthetic opioids used as potent analgesics in human and veterinary medicine have been diverted to recreational aims, illegally produced and sold. Like all opioids, central nervous system depression resulting from overdose or misuse of fentanyl analogs is characterized clinically by the onset of consciousness impairment, pinpoint miosis and bradypnea.

The association of management and leadership competencies with work satisfaction among pharmacists in Lebanon.

Background: Pharmacists are at the core of the healthcare system and are the most accessible healthcare professionals. Their new roles involve leadership skills, among others. Work satisfaction of pharmacists might affect the quality of the services they provide.

The effect of research on the perceived quality of teaching: a cross-sectional study among university students in Lebanon.

Introduction: The complementarity between research and teaching is still debated, although several higher education institutions require instructors to do research. In the absence of a consensus on this matter and given the lack of related studies in Lebanon, this study aimed to describe students' perception of research integration into teaching, and to link research and professional skills to quality teaching, using validated scales related to these concepts.

Methods: A standardized questionnaire was diffused to university students; it included validated scales: the Student Perception of Research Integration Questionnaire (SPRIQ), the Adapted-Teachers' quality assessment questionnaire (A-TQAQ), the Student Evaluation of Teaching short form (SET37-QS), and Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Health Research Questionnaire.

Pharmacy education and workforce: strategic recommendations based on expert consensus in Lebanon.

Pharmacy in Lebanon has been taught for years, and the profession has known the golden ages in previous years. However, with the recent graduation of hundreds of pharmacists, without prior workforce planning, the oversupply of non-specialized pharmacists caused a mismatch with the needs of the market. The context of severe socioeconomic and sanitary crises has further exacerbated the situation, with hundreds of pharmacists leaving the country.

Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding the disposal of expired and unused medications among the Lebanese population.

Background: Medication waste is a public health problem affecting developed and developing countries. In Lebanon, a developing country in the Middle East, efforts are being deployed in hospitals but not in the community.

Objective: This study aimed to validate a questionnaire to explore the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) towards the disposal of unused and expired medicines among the Lebanese population and then identify the factors associated with these variables comparatively between the general population and healthcare professionals.

Assessing self-reported core competencies of public health practitioners in Lebanon using the WHO-ASPHER validated scale: a pilot study.

Background: The World Health Organization and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region recommend the self-assessment of public health core competencies to strengthen the proficiency of the public health workforce and prepare them for future challenges. A framework for these competencies is lacking and highly needed in Lebanon. This study aims to validate the WHO-ASPHER self-declared scale and evaluate the perceived competency level of the different categories of Lebanese public health practitioners.

A pilot assessment of the career and job satisfaction of the pharmaceutical workforce in Lebanon.

Background: Lebanon has been recognized as a center for high-quality healthcare services in the Middle East because of its prestigious facilities certified by international bodies, competent health workers, and credible pharmaceutical sector. This study assessed the professional situation of the Lebanese pharmaceutical workforce upon graduation and entry to the job market. It also evaluated the satisfaction of pharmacists with the financial, physical, and psychological aspects of their job and the effect of the current socioeconomic crisis on their profession.

Developing a national pharmaceutical research strategy in Lebanon: opportunities to bridge the gaps and reach the goals.

Pharmaceutical research can be structured into clear national strategies that optimize patient health and foster innovation. The objectives of this document are to assess the need for a national pharmaceutical research strategy based on the current situation in Lebanon, to identify the strengths and weaknesses of pharmaceutical research in Lebanon, and to suggest a pharmaceutical research strategy for Lebanon, including goals and objectives. In Lebanon, in the absence of a national health research policy, pharmaceutical research is conducted in academia or hospitals, although projects are the result of personal or team initiatives that should be organized to better serve the needs of the country.

Psychometric properties of the 37-item Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) scale.

To validate the French version of the 37-item Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function, including the four items related to multitasking, previously excluded from the scoring algorithm. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 261 cancer patients. Validity was confirmed by factor analyses using the principal component analysis technique.