1. Perceptions and experiences of community pharmacists with off-label prescribing in the pediatric population.
- Author
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Noga F, Hoti E, Ibrahimi E, Toma D, and Malaj L
- Subjects
- Humans, Cross-Sectional Studies, Male, Female, Child, Adult, Surveys and Questionnaires, Child, Preschool, Middle Aged, Practice Patterns, Pharmacists' statistics & numerical data, Attitude of Health Personnel, Adolescent, Perception, Young Adult, Off-Label Use statistics & numerical data, Pharmacists statistics & numerical data, Pharmacists organization & administration, Community Pharmacy Services statistics & numerical data, Community Pharmacy Services organization & administration
- Abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate and provide insight into the prevalence and patterns of off-label drug use in the pediatric population from the perspective of community pharmacists, addressing the existing data gap in a developing setting., Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted on Albanian community pharmacists in June 2021. The online administered survey explored the participants' demographic details, perceptions, and experiences with off-label prescriptions in pediatric patients. The statistical analysis conducted on the survey data comprised the construction of frequency tables and the application of the chi-square test for independence., Key Findings: Three hundred and thirty-six community pharmacists nationwide completed the survey, out of which 186 (55.3%) were practiced in Tirana, the capital of Albania. Over 80% of surveyed pharmacists (n = 275) had encountered off-label drug prescriptions in pediatric patients, yet only 40% of participants reported dispensing medicines for off-label use. Community pharmacists reported that general pediatricians tended to prescribe off-label medications more frequently than pediatric subspecialists or general practitioners. It was found that off-label prescriptions were more frequently observed among children aged between 2 and 11 years. Antibiotics were the most reported medicines for off-label use in this study mentioned in almost all off-label categories., Conclusions: Prescribing medicines for unapproved uses for the treatment of pediatric patients is present in community settings in Albania. This indicates the need for further data collection and analysis to understand off-label practices in our country's pediatric population comprehensively., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)
- Published
- 2024
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