Pharmacist’s Attitudes, Practices and Knowledge towards Herbal Drugs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58987/fg7fk195Keywords:
Pharmacists, Herbal, Drugs, Knowledge, LibyaAbstract
With the increased use of herbal drugs, pressure is growing on pharmacists to have more knowledge about herbal medicine. We assessed pharmacists’ dispensing practices, opinions, and knowledge regarding herbal drugs. A cross-sectional study was carried out among community pharmacists in Libya using a questionnaire. A convenience sample of 602 community pharmacists was included in the study. 65.6% of participants believed that herbal products were beneficial and 53.5% believed these had fewer side effects than conventional medicines. Most participants thought they have good knowledge of herbal preparations. However, their actual knowledge in response to the questionnaire was low. The lowest score was observed for the herbal drug interactions domain with an average score of 30.62%. Although herbal products are commonly dispensed in Libya, community pharmacists have poor knowledge about these medicines. Continuing pharmacy education in general, is needed for community pharmacists to qualify to provide better pharmaceutical care. Additionally, pharmacists need to refresh their knowledge by attending periodic educational courses and by using reliable resources for information about herbal products in order to provide effective and competent pharmaceutical care.
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