Drug treatment and prevention of malaria in pregnancy: a critical review of the guidelines.

Background: Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum in pregnancy can result in adverse maternal and fetal sequelae. This review evaluated the adherence of the national guidelines drawn from World Health Organization (WHO) regions, Africa, Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific, to the WHO recommendations on drug treatment and prevention of chloroquine-resistant falciparum malaria in pregnant women.

Methods: Thirty-five updated national guidelines and the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), available in English language, were reviewed.

Prevalence of drugs with constipation-inducing potential and laxatives in community-dwelling older adults in Bahrain: therapeutic implications.

Objectives: This study evaluated the prevalence of prescribing drugs with constipation-inducing potential and the prophylactic use of laxatives in community-dwelling older adults.

Method: An audit of outpatient prescriptions ordered for older adults aged ≥65 years with one or more chronic morbidities in 24 governmental primary healthcare centres in Bahrain. The prescriptions were collected by pharmacist-in-charge of each health centre between December 2015 and June 2016.

Antihypertensive Prescribing Pattern in Older Adults: Implications of Age and the Use of Dual Single-Pill Combinations.

Introduction: Hypertension, if not appropriately treated, is associated with life-threatening complications.

Aims: This study evaluated antihypertensive prescribing patterns in older adults (≥ 65 years) versus young adults based on the current guidelines with an emphasis on the use of dual single-pill combinations (SPCs).

Methods: A nationwide audit of 8746 primary care prescriptions of hypertensive patients with comorbidities in Bahrain was performed.

Pharmacology and therapeutics resource session attendance and academic performance of pre-clerkship medical students in problem-based learning curricula.

Background: The relationship between large-group classroom attendance by students and test achievement in problem-based learning (PBL) curricula is unclear. This study examined the correlation between attendance at resource sessions (hybrid lectures in the PBL curriculum) and test scores achieved in pharmacology and determined whether the score achieved was related to student gender.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study over one academic year of 1404 pre-clerkship medical students was performed.

Drug information, misinformation, and disinformation on social media: a content analysis study.

Dissemination of misleading drug information through social media can be detrimental to the health of the public. This study, carried out in Bahrain, evaluated the truthfulness of 22 social media claims about drugs (72.7%), dietary supplements (22.

Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing in Older Adults with Hypertension or Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension in a Primary Care Setting in Bahrain.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to evaluate: (1) the prevalence and types of potentially inappropriate prescribing in older adults with hypertension or diabetes mellitus and hypertension, and (2) whether or not differences in the training of primary care physicians were associated with potentially inappropriate prescribing.

Materials And Methods: Primary care prescriptions issued by family physicians and general practitioners were audited using Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions criteria (version 1), with 18 out of 65 applicable criteria. Descriptive statistics were used to test the difference between proportions, and two-tailed t test was used for continuous variables.

Prescription audit of NSAIDs and gastroprotective strategy in elderly in primary care.

Background: The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) is deemed a major risk factor for peptic ulcer disease in elderly population that requires concomitant therapy with gastroprotective agents (GPAs).

Objective: This study evaluated the rational prescribing of NSAIDs and GPAs, and extent of adherence to the guideline recommendations in primary care.

Methods: Nationwide audit of prescriptions issued to elderly patients (≥65 years) with hypertension or diabetic hypertension in primary care.

Understanding Preclerkship Medical Students' Poor Performance in Prescription Writing.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore reasons for poor performance in prescription writing stations of the objective structured practical examination (OSPE) and absenteeism in prescription writing sessions among preclerkship medical students at the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) in Manama, Bahrain.

Methods: This descriptive study was carried out between September 2014 and June 2015 among 157 preclerkship medical students at AGU. Data were collected using focus group discussions and a questionnaire with closed- and open-ended items.

Competence of medical students in communicating drug therapy: Value of role-play demonstrations.

Objectives: This study used role-play demonstrations to train medical students to communicate drug therapy and evaluated the perceptions on this instructional approach.

Materials And Methods: The second-year medical students who attended a prescription writing session (n = 133), participated in this study. Prescription communication was introduced by using role-play demonstrations.

Antihypertensive Drugs and Male Sexual Dysfunction: A Review of Adult Hypertension Guideline Recommendations.

Background: Published clinical practice guidelines have addressed antihypertensive therapy and sexual dysfunction (SD) in many different ways.

Objective: In this systematic review, we evaluated guidelines that address antihypertensive drug-associated SD, guideline recommendations, and recent guideline trends.

Methods: Thirty sets of guidelines for hypertension management in adults that had been published in the English language since 2000 were reviewed.

Medical Students' Perceptions of Peer Assessment in a Problem-based Learning Curriculum.

Objectives: Peer assessment (PA) is believed to support learning and help students develop both professionally and personally. The aim of this study was to examine medical students' perceptions of intragroup PA in a problem-based learning (PBL) setting.

Methods: This study was carried out between September and November 2014 and involved six random groups of fourth-year undergraduate medical students (n = 60) enrolled at the Arabian Gulf University in Manama, Bahrain.

Temporal changes in antihypertensive prescribing trend in Bahrain over a decade: emerging issues in iatrogenic sexual dysfunction.

Objective: To elucidate temporality of antihypertensive drug prescribing trends over a decade in terms of emerging views on iatrogenic sexual dysfunctions (SD).

Methods: The antihypertensive prescribing trend in 2007 was compared with baseline data collected in 1998 using prescription audit.

Results: Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors were deemed first and second ranked antihypertensives for patients with diabetic hypertension and hypertension in 2007, respectively.

Drug treatment of hypertension in pregnancy: a critical review of adult guideline recommendations.

This review evaluates the guideline recommendations for the management of hypertension in pregnancy as presented by 25 national/international guidelines developed for the management of arterial hypertension in adults. There is a general consensus that oral α-methyldopa and parenteral labetalol are the drugs of choice for nonsevere and severe hypertension in pregnancy, respectively. Long-acting nifedipine is recommended by various guidelines as an alternative for first-line and second-line therapy in nonsevere and severe hypertension.

Effectiveness of an educational intervention on prescription writing skill of preclerkship medical students in a problem-based learning curriculum.

Medical school training for students in pharmacotherapy is suboptimal and junior doctors are not confident to prescribe drugs. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an optional educational intervention on prescribing skill of pre-clerkship medical students in a problem-based learning (PBL) program. Performance was assessed in seven end-unit objective structured practical examinations (OSPE).

Medication prescribing errors pertaining to cardiovascular/antidiabetic medications: a prescription audit in primary care.

This study was carried out to identify the medication prescribing errors (MPEs) pertaining to cardiovascular/antidiabetic medications in prescriptions issued to hypertensive and diabetic hypertensive patients. A retrospective, nationwide audit of prescriptions (n = 2773) issued by primary care physicians (n = 194) of 20 health centres in Bahrain was carried out. Approximately one-quarter of prescriptions ordered by two-thirds of primary care physicians had errors.

Use of dextropropoxyphene + acetaminophen fixed-dose combination in psychiatric hospital in Bahrain: is there a cause for concern?

There are concerns about the safety of the dextropropoxyphene and acetaminophen fixed-dose combination, particularly in patients with psychiatric morbidity, which has led to a phased withdrawal of this fixed-dose combination in many countries. A retrospective prescription audit was conducted to evaluate the dextropropoxyphene + acetaminophen fixed-dose combination prescribing pattern in the major psychiatric hospital of Bahrain. The data analysis was performed using SPSS/PC+ version 14.

Antimicrobial prescribing trends in primary care: implications for health policy in Bahrain.

Purpose: To evaluate antimicrobial prescribing pattern by primary care physicians.

Methods: A nation-wide, retrospective, multi-centric prescription-audit was carried out in primary care health centres in Bahrain.

Results: Systemic antimicrobials ranked the fourth most common class of drugs prescribed.

Management of acute diarrhoea in primary care in Bahrain: self-reported practices of doctors.

This nationwide study was conducted to assess the extent of adherence of primary-care physicians to the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended guidelines on the use of oral rehydration therapy (ORT), antimicrobials, and prescribing of other drugs used in treating symptoms of acute diarrhoea in Bahrain. A questionnaire-based, cross-sectional survey was carried out in primary-care health centres. During a six-week survey period (15 August-30 September 2003), 328 (25.

Topical corticosteroids in infants: prescribing pattern and prescribing errors in Bahrain.

Objective: A nationwide, primary care-based prescription audit in infants to determine the prescribing pattern and prescribing errors of topical corticosteroid preparations in Bahrain.

Method: Prescriptions dispensed for infants were collected for two successive weeks from 20 primary-care health centres.

Results: Among 2282 out of 102,084 prescriptions (2.

Diurnal variation of prescribing pattern of primary care doctors in Bahrain.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: To evaluate the variation in prescribing by primary care doctors during the morning and the evening clinics and to determine whether these prescribing patterns are influenced by doctors' training background.

Methods: A retrospective prescription-based study was carried out in 17 out of 20 primary care health centres in Bahrain distributed across the Kingdom.

Results: A total of 4472 prescriptions containing 10 588 drug-items covering the prescribing practice of approximately 90% primary care doctors were analysed.

Evaluation of drug utilization and prescribing errors in infants: a primary care prescription-based study.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the drug utilization trends and to describe the prevalence and type of medication-related prescribing errors in infants treated at primary care health centers in Bahrain. Prescriptions issued for infants were collected over a 2-week period in May 2004 from 20 health centers. Prescribing errors were classified as omission (minor and major), commission (incorrect information) and integration errors.

Evaluation of the knowledge, attitude and practice of self-medication among first-year medical students.

Objective: This study was undertaken to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of self-medication among first-year medical students of the Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain.

Subjects And Methods: This was an anonymous, questionnaire-based, descriptive study. A prevalidated questionnaire, containing open-ended and close-ended questions, was administered to the subjects.

Rational use of antimicrobials in infants in primary care of Bahrain.

This nationwide prescription-based study was undertaken to evaluate antimicrobial prescribing for infants, and to identify prescribing errors in infants in 20 primary care health centres of Bahrain. Data was collected on a daily basis by pharmacists in May 2004. Antimicrobials ranked the 5th most common drugs prescribed in infants; beta-lactams, notably amoxycillin and cephalexin, comprised 81.