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Anti-TNF therapy is widely used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. This immunosuppressive therapy comes with a few complications that could be life-threatening. TNF prepares the immune system of the body for any foreign infections. When this factor is inhibited, immune system can be easily compromised and risk of influenza, pneumonia, herpes zoster, hepatitis B, and meningitis is considerably increased. This complication needs to be addressed critically before starting anti-TNF therapy. Vaccination prior to immunosuppressive therapy is found to be effective in reducing such complications. Rates of vaccination can be optimized by enhancing patient compliance, removing financial barriers, and educating both patients and their families. Patient personalized appeal letter for vaccination was also found to be an effective intervention. Educating and updating the healthcare providers with the latest technologies and software can help in proper documentation and scheduling vaccine administration properly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generic medications are drugs that are manufactured to be as alternatives for already marketed brand medications. Their use has been emphasized by governments focused on the economic advantages and several policies have been established among countries to increase their use. Simultaneously, there is increasing debate and discussion regarding the equivalence, quality and safety of generic medicines. The aim of this review is to provide some evidence on the quality of generic medications and to report healthcare and patient perspectives on these medications. Overall, the reviewed studies showed either comparable effectiveness or adverse effects associated with generic medicines. Studies that reported perceptions about generic medications from either healthcare professionals' or patients' perspectives showed different views and perceptions about the quality and safety of generic medications, where they mainly favor brand medications over generic medications due to the negative perceptions on generic medications quality and safety. A key aspect in enhancing knowledge and confidence towards generic medications is the implementation of educational programmes and awareness campaigns for both healthcare professionals and patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality. Numerous international studies emphasized the massive global health burden of chronic respiratory diseases, highlighting the urgent need for planning and developing international collaborations to combat this epidemic trend. Pharmacist involvement has been shown to result in improvements in inhaler technique, termination of suboptimal medications, and observance to maintenance therapy. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review is to investigate the impact of a pharmacist-led asthma and COPD respiratory clinic in a hospital setting. RESULTS: The outcome of the papers showed that pharmacist interventions improved the health-related quality of life among patients diagnosed with asthma and COPD. Patients in pharmacy-managed clinics reported a major decrease in the rate of exacerbation, rate of hospitalization, and smoking behavior. CONCLUSION: This review identified some of the factors that can hinder success in the management of asthma and COPD, including lack of awareness on the disease, incorrect use of an inhaler, and poor adherence and lifestyle practices. Due to these challenges, the current review identifies that pharmacists have a better opportunity to help COPD patients in all the primary stages, from early detection to provision of advice regarding medication. Future studies in this domain must consider other aspects, such as pharmacist training, administration and reimbursement, raising awareness of the role of the pharmacist, and raising the level of collaboration between physicians and pharmacists while managing asthma/COPD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The WHO announced on 30 January 2020 the respiratory tract infection outbreak caused by Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) that was first recognized in China to be a global public health emergency. Objective: To investigate healthcare professional's knowledge and awareness about COVID-19. Methods: The study was conducted across four hospitals in Saudi Arabia and two hospitals in Kuwait. The questionnaire was completed between 18th May and the end of June 2020. Results: A total of 460 healthcare professionals completed the questionnaire, 37.8%(n=174) were males. The age of the participants ranged from 18 to 64 and 80.4% (n=370) of the participants were aged 34 or below. Official government websites 54.8% (n=252) and social media 43.3% (n=199) were the major reliable information sources related to COVID-19. only 37% (n=170) mentioned that the coronavirus disease could transmit through contact. In addition, only 42% (n=191) of the study participants had the correct knowledge about the incubation period of the disease. Moreover, 43.5% (n=200) of the participants were able to identify the symptoms of COVID-19. Conclusion: The study recommended the need to focus more on educational and awareness programs targeting all healthcare professionals to ensure the best practice and provide the optimal care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Career satisfaction is a leading topic among pharmacy professionals, given the changing dimensions of work. In this regard, the primary objective of the current study was to measure career satisfaction among different pharmacy professionals working in governmental, private sector, and academia. The study used the job satisfaction index developed by Tsui et al. The survey used consisted of eight items. Six items on the scale measured job satisfaction, with five options varying from "1-strongly disagree" to "5-strongly agree" and the rest of the items on the scale measured "intent to stay". The survey was distributed both electronically and personally to pharmacy professionals working under governmental and private sectors in Saudi Arabia. Participation in the study was entirely voluntary. The resulting data was analysed taking into consideration age, gender, workplace factors. The findings of the study were as follows. Gender only had significant impact on the satisfaction with current job situation (Z = -2.804, p < .05). Males had higher satisfaction rates with their current job situation compared to females (Mean rank = 162.87). Significantly, the level of education and nationality affected the time the workers chose to stay on the job. Working in drug authority also resulted in higher satisfaction levels compared to working in the industrial and academia sectors. These findings imply that it is necessary to understand the mechanisms that affect pharmacist's job satisfaction. Such an understanding would help respond to their needs, decrease turnover, and increase their general level of productivity in the healthcare setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of oral isotretinoin in acne vulgaris has been well established. Nevertheless, numerous side effects are identified with its use, some of which can lead to very devastating consequences Therefore, research into other different treatment modalities with the use of intermittent isotretinoin therapy has been conducted. The aim of this review is to explore the reported effectiveness, side effects and relapse of intermittent isotretinoin compared to the traditional therapy for treatment of acne. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]