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Background: Medication errors can often occur due to the patient's inability to comprehend written or verbal medication orders. This study aimed to develop pictograms of selected medication orders and to validate the comprehension of prescription orders index and compare the comprehension scores with and without pictograms. In addition to determine the predictors that could be associated with a better or worse comprehension of prescription orders with pictograms versus that of their written counterparts., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a snowball sampling technique. Six pictograms were developed to depict specific medication orders. The comprehension of prescription orders index was constructed and validated. The study then compared the comprehension scores of prescription orders with and without pictograms, and identified the predicting factors score difference., Results: A total of 1848 participants were included in the study. The structure of the comprehension of prescription orders index was validated over a solution of four factors, with an adequate Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy of 0.711 and a significant Bartlett's test of sphericity (P < 0.001). The construct validity of the index was further confirmed by highly significant correlations between each item and the full index (P < 0.001). The study also found a significant association between the difference in comprehension scores for prescription orders with and without pictograms and several factors, including age, level of education, area of residence, number of children, and smoking status with the difference of comprehension scores (P < 0.001)., Conclusion: Pictogram-based instructions of medication orders were better understood by the Lebanese population than written instructions, making the incorporation of pictograms in pharmacy practice paramount to optimize medication use by the patient and thus yielding better health outcomes., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Vaccination is the most effective preventative strategy against influenza, yet university students' influenza vaccination uptake remains low. This study aimed firstly to determine the percentage of university students who were vaccinated for the 2015-2016 influenza season and to identify reasons for non-vaccination, and secondly to examine the impact of external factors (on-campus/online influenza awareness campaigns and COVID-19 pandemic) on their influenza vaccination uptake and attitudes for the 2017-2018 and 2021-2022 influenza seasons. A descriptive study was conducted over three phases for three influenza seasons at a Lebanese university in the Bekaa Region. Based on data collected in 2015-2016, promotional activities were developed and implemented for the other influenza seasons. This study was conducted using an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire by students. The majority of the respondents in the three studies did not receive the influenza vaccine (89.2% in the 2015-2016 study, 87.3% in the 2017-2018 study, and 84.7% in the 2021-2022 study). Among the unvaccinated respondents, the main reason for non-vaccination was that they thought that they did not need it. The primary reason for vaccination among those who were vaccinated was that they believed they were at risk of catching influenza in a 2017-2018 study and due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2021-2022 study. As for attitudes towards influenza vaccination post-COVID-19, significant differences were shown among the vaccinated and unvaccinated respondents. The vaccination rates among university students remained low despite of the awareness campaigns and COVID-19 pandemic.

The pharmacy support workforce (PSW) is the mid-level cadre of the global pharmacy profession, referring to pharmacy technicians, assistants and other cadres that assist in the delivery of pharmaceutical services in a variety of practice contexts. The PSW undertake technical tasks delegated under the supervision of a pharmacist or performed collaboratively. The PSW are not intended to replace pharmacists, but rather work side-by-side with the pharmacist to achieve a shared goal. However, extensive variation in the PSW exists globally, ranging from an educated, regulated, and highly effective workforce in some countries to unrecognized or non-existent in others. Vast differences in education requirements, specific roles, regulatory oversight, and need for pharmacist supervision, inhibit the development and advancement of a global PSW. As clinical care providers, pharmacists worldwide need for a competent support workforce. Without the confidence to delegate technical responsibilities to a well-trained and capable PSW, pharmacists will be unable to fully deliver advanced clinical roles. A clear vision for the role of the PSW in the expanding scope of pharmacy practice is needed. One organization working to unite global efforts in this area is the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). The FIP Workforce Development Hub Pharmacy Technicians & Support Workforce Strategic Platform was established to address the pharmacy workforce shortage in low and middle-income countries. Further developments were made in 2019, with the creation of a representative global PSW advisory panel, to provide guidance towards the development of the global PSW. Provision of frameworks and strategic input to support quality in education, development of legislative frameworks, guidelines for registration and licensure, and advice on appropriate role advancement are critical to move the PSW forward. In order to produce substantial advancement of roles and recognition of the PSW and advancement of pharmacists as patient care providers, global collaborative work is needed., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Diabetic hypoglycaemia affects medication adherence, patients' productivity and quality of life. It is also associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular complications., Aims: To examine the impact of hypoglycaemia in insulin-treated patients in the Lebanese cohort of the Hypoglycaemia Assessment Tool (HAT) study., Methods: The HAT study was an observational study covering a 6-month retrospective and a 4-week prospective period in 24 countries including Lebanon. Data were collected using self-assessment questionnaires and patient diaries from 1158 invited lebanese patients, aged ≥ 18 years, with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T1DM/T2DM) treated with insulin for > 12 months. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients experiencing ≥ 1 hypoglycaemic event during the 4-week follow-up period., Results: After 4 weeks of follow-up, 177/225 [78.7%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 72.7-83.8] of patients with T1DM and 291/630 (46.2%; 95% CI: 42.2-50.2) patients with T2D experienced at least 1 hypoglycaemic event. Rates of nocturnal and severe hypoglycaemia were 10.7 (95% CI: 9.1-12.3) and 13.2 (95% CI: 11.5-14.9) events/patient-year for T1DM, and 3.3 (95% CI: 2.8-3.8) and 4.2 events/patient-year (95% CI: 3.6-4.8) for T2DM, respectively. Fear of hypoglycaemia was significantly associated with nocturnal and severe hypoglycaemia in both diabetes types (P < 0.001)., Conclusion: The results suggest that the less-advanced healthcare systems in Lebanon are implicated in lower levels of patient knowledge about hypoglycaemia and related preventive measures. Treatment strategies and glycaemia goals should be individualized according to patient preference, medical benefits, and risk of hypoglycaemia., (Copyright © World Health Organization (WHO) 2020. Open Access. Some rights reserved. This work is available under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo).)