Rationale, aims, and objectives Community pharmacists have a crucial role in providing comprehensive patient education regarding contraception methods. This study aims to investigate Jordanian pharmacists’ knowledge and perception towards male OCPs. Methods A mixed-explanatory sequential method was divided into two phases. The first was a self-administered electronic survey to community pharmacists/trainees in Jordan. The second phase was carried out through online semi-structured in-depth interviews targeting the maximum variation purposive sample of community pharmacists. Results A total of 158 (response rate 98%) questionnaires were included in the analysis. The majority of the participants were female (n=118, 74.2%). In terms of knowledge, only 25% of participants acknowledged the presence of male OCPs and almost half were uncertain about the mechanism of action and the possible uses. The findings of the interviews confirmed the relatively negative perception towards males OCPs. As, the identified barriers to male OCPs were cultural norms, side effects, and poor compliance. Conclusion There is a negative perception towards male OCPs, as the majority of pharmacists believe such products will not be successful in Jordan. Once these pills are approved for their effectiveness and safety, men may need further education and encouragement to take an active role in family planning along with their partners.

Background Many people are used to administering their drugs with food, beverages, or herbs, which may contain chemicals that interfere with the prescribed drugs that could potentially lead to changes in their efficacy or safety and alteration in their pharmacokinetic properties. Objective To assess the extent of perception and use of food, beverages and herbs alongside with conventional drugs and their potential interactions among Jordanian society. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in Jordan (20 April - 5 May 2020). The survey was developed using Google forms, validated and distributed via social media platforms. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences-24. Main outcome measure Use and perception of food, beverages, herbs and their drug interactions among Jordanians. Results Of all participants (n = 789), 77.8% were females, 46.2% were 50-year-old, 69.7% were married, 70.8% were medically insured, and 51.1% had a bachelor’s degrees. Seventy percent of the study participants reported use of medicinal plants. About 66% of participants agreed that medicinal plants or herbs could treat diseases and 58.6% thought that medications could interact with drugs. In general, the participants’ knowledge about food/beverage/herb-drug interactions was considered poor. However, linear regression analysis illustrated that the level of knowledge was significantly affected (p-value <0.05) by gender, marital status, social status, the educational level, and employment sector. Conclusion Jordanians have a positive perception towards herbs and their ability to treat diseases. However, their knowledge about food/beverage-drug interactions was poor. This call needs to enhance the community awareness on food/beverage/herb-drug interactions.

Rationale, aims, and objective: Evidences show that the level of awareness about H.pylori is still low, and working on this issue is expected to be very impactful to improve infection rates and disease spread. This research aimed is to assess the level of knowledge and the degree of awareness among undergraduate pharmacy students in regard to H pylori diagnosis and management before and after delivering an educational pharmacy intervention. Methods: This is a randomized controlled study that was conducted in May 2020. During the study period, 72 pharmacy students were invited to attend a workshop about H pylori management and diagnosis. Participants’ knowledge and general awareness about H pylori infection was evaluated before and after the workshop (25-minute educational lecture for the intervention group and educational pamphlet for the control group). At the end of the workshop participants’ ability to distinguish and correctly diagnose virtual cases was tested. Results: Most of the participating students (n=58, 80.6%) haven’t been involved in similar workshops previously. Following education workshop, students in the intervention group showed a significant improvement in their knowledge score (from 9.2 (SD=1.9) pre-workshop to 10.4 (SD= 1.9) post-workshop, (P-value =0.001) while students in the control group didn’t (pre-workshop knowledge score of 9.1 (SD= 2.2) and post-workshop score of 9.4 (SD= 1.6), (P-value =0.324). Also, students in the intervention group produced better results than the control group in distinguishing and diagnosing provided H pylori cases in the workshop with higher score of 2.2 for the intervention group compared to 1.6 for the control group (P-value= 0.026). Conclusion: Education workshops about H pylori infection are needed to build a strong base of qualified healthcare providers as an outstanding output of our higher educational programs, which in turn improves the quality and reduces the burden on healthcare systems.

Rational: In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus infectious disease as a pandemic referred to as COVID-19. As an essential service, community pharmacists have been enacting a key role in patient counseling and supply of essential medicines and protective equipment. Objectives: To investigate pharmacists’ perspectives of the role of educational institutes and professional pharmacy organizations in supporting them to take on roles during COVID-19 pandemic and to identify barriers to be able to support themselves and their patients. Methods: This descriptive mixed-method study was conducted via a cross-sectional online survey distributed to pharmacists/pharmacy students in Jordan during the COVID-19 outbreak (15-30 March 2020) using an online questionnaire, followed by an online focus group. Questionnaire items related to participants’ perspectives in being prepared for and supported in their roles during the COVID-19 pandemic and items were tested for face validity. Data were descriptively analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and triangulated with focus group findings. Results: Considering that fear and anxiety are a consequence of mass social distancing/quarantine, study participants (n=726, age=26.9 (SD=8.0) years, 71.9% females), reported needing training on mental healthcare to be able to support themselves and people during pandemics (90.2%). Most respondents agreed/strongly agreed (59.7%) with the statement around pharmacy educators/educational institutes having a key role in preparing pharmacists for practice during epidemics/pandemics, and agreed that their faculties should add a course regarding pandemic preparedness in their curriculum (89.9%). Results were similar regarding roles for the pharmaceutical associations. Focus group findings (n=7) mirrored the survey findings to a large extent. Conclusions: Most participants believed that Pharmacy Educators and pharmaceutical associations have a role in preparing them to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic through online educational workshops/webinars. Online education on mental healthcare is specifically needed.

Early detection of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) in pregnant females starts by a request of the gynecologists, which is based on their knowledge and awareness of the guidelines on conducting these tests. This is an observational cross-sectional study that investigated the gynecologists’ knowledge, attitude and practice regarding HBV during pregnancy across Jordan. A random sample of 150 gynecologists were approached, from 3 major cities in Jordan, and asked to fill a questionnaire that assessed their knowledge, attitude and practice. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS. One hundred and seven gynecologists have participated in the study. Most of the respondents were females, residents, and less than thirty years old. Although 97.2% of the practitioners agreed on the importance of the pregnant females on HBV, only 43% were aware of the obligatory protocol in Jordan regarding HBV screening, and only 55% would screen the pregnant females to HBV in-practice. Significant association was found between screening rates to HBV and both, level of specialty and experience of practitioners. Approximately 60% of practitioners were aware of HBV perinatal transmission risk. Only 19.6% always referred the infected pregnant females to other specialists regardless of the viral load. While 47.7% of practitioners agreed on recommending antiviral therapy for third trimester pregnant females, only 12.1% would always/often prescribe them. A noteworthy lack of Hepatitis B knowledge and screening practice among gynecologists in Jordan have been observed. A national program designed to increase the awareness of HBV testing in Jordan for both patients and gynecologists is called for.