Int J Clin Pharm DOI 10.1007/s11096-015-0120-5
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Re: Pharmacists’ care of diabetes patients during Ramadan Mohamed E. K. Amin1 • Betty Chewning2
Received: 4 April 2015 / Accepted: 8 April 2015 Ó Koninklijke Nederlandse Maatschappij ter bevordering der Pharmacie 2015
We read the letter submitted to the editor of the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy with great interest [1]. We would like to highlight the following points in response to issues that the author has raised. Unfortunately, the author of the letter misunderstood the methodology used for data collection in the Egyptian study. She mistakenly states that the Egyptian study interviewed the pharmacists. She then hypothesizes the interviews caused social desirability effects. It is important to correct this misunderstanding since pharmacists were not interviewed in the Egyptian study. Rather, pharmacists completed a self-administered survey questionnaire as stated in Amin’s 2013 dissertation, 2014 publications and 2013 national presentations [2–6]. It is important to note that the design and execution of the two studies varied considerably. The Qatari study used a convenience sample consisting of community and hospital pharmacists with a participation rate of 31 % [7]. Our study used a probability sample composed just of community pharmacists as the sampling frame with a participation rate of 93 %. Thus it is logical that some of our findings differed from what Dr. Wilbur expected. Further, we consider pharmacists’ interest in attending workshops addressing patient care around Ramadan, an important topic to be kept in mind when designing continuing
& Mohamed E. K. Amin [email protected] 1
Faculty of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University, Tarik Al-Jadida, Beirut, Lebanon
2
Sonderegger Research Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2523 Rennebohm Hall, 777 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705-2222, USA
education activities. We found that pharmacists’ desire to attend a workshop on adjusting medication regimens during Ramadan was associated with pharmacists being Muslim and younger [3]. As the author of the letter notes, there is a strong need for more continuing education and pharmacy school preparation of student pharmacists to address medication management during Ramadan. We agree that future knowledge assessments should include dosing consideration for the expanding treatment alternatives in diabetes as well as the management of medications for the concomitant diseases diabetic patients may have. There is also a need for more research on this topic to improve the quality of medication self-management during Ramadan. Interventions are needed to heighten the awareness and skill of health care providers and patients alike to improve safe medication use outcomes during Ramadan.
References 1. Wilbur K. Pharmacists’ care of diabetes patients during Ramadan. Int J Clin Pharm. 2015. doi:10.1007/s11096-015-0095-2. 2. Amin ME. Pharmacists’ role in adjusting medication regimens for Muslim patients in Ramadan [Dissertation]. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison; 2013. p. 167. 3. Amin MEK, Chewning B. Community pharmacists’ knowledge of diabetes management during Ramadan in Egypt. Int J Clin Pharm. 2014;36:1213–21. 4. Amin MEK, Chewning B. Predicting pharmacists’ adjustment of medication regimens in Ramadan using the theory of planned behavior. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2015;11:e1–15. 5. Amin M, Chewning B. Pharmacists’ role in managing medications for Muslim patients with chronic conditions who decide to fast in Ramadan. In: Poster presentation at the 160th annual meeting of the American Pharmacists Association. 2013; March 1–4, Los Angeles, CA.
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Int J Clin Pharm 6. Amin M, Chewning B. Community pharmacists’ knowledge of diabetes management during Ramadan. In: Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. 2013; July 13–17; Chicago, IL.
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7. Wilbur K, Al Tawegni K, Remoden E. Diabetes patient management by pharmacists during Ramadan. BMJ Health Serv Res. 2014;14:117–23.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Re: Pharmacists’ care of diabetes patients during Ramadan Mohamed E. K. Amin1 • Betty Chewning2
Received: 4 April 2015 / Accepted: 8 April 2015 Ó Koninklijke Nederlandse Maatschappij ter bevordering der Pharmacie 2015
We read the letter submitted to the editor of the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy with great interest [1]. We would like to highlight the following points in response to issues that the author has raised. Unfortunately, the author of the letter misunderstood the methodology used for data collection in the Egyptian study. She mistakenly states that the Egyptian study interviewed the pharmacists. She then hypothesizes the interviews caused social desirability effects. It is important to correct this misunderstanding since pharmacists were not interviewed in the Egyptian study. Rather, pharmacists completed a self-administered survey questionnaire as stated in Amin’s 2013 dissertation, 2014 publications and 2013 national presentations [2–6]. It is important to note that the design and execution of the two studies varied considerably. The Qatari study used a convenience sample consisting of community and hospital pharmacists with a participation rate of 31 % [7]. Our study used a probability sample composed just of community pharmacists as the sampling frame with a participation rate of 93 %. Thus it is logical that some of our findings differed from what Dr. Wilbur expected. Further, we consider pharmacists’ interest in attending workshops addressing patient care around Ramadan, an important topic to be kept in mind when designing continuing
& Mohamed E. K. Amin [email protected] 1
Faculty of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University, Tarik Al-Jadida, Beirut, Lebanon
2
Sonderegger Research Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2523 Rennebohm Hall, 777 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705-2222, USA
education activities. We found that pharmacists’ desire to attend a workshop on adjusting medication regimens during Ramadan was associated with pharmacists being Muslim and younger [3]. As the author of the letter notes, there is a strong need for more continuing education and pharmacy school preparation of student pharmacists to address medication management during Ramadan. We agree that future knowledge assessments should include dosing consideration for the expanding treatment alternatives in diabetes as well as the management of medications for the concomitant diseases diabetic patients may have. There is also a need for more research on this topic to improve the quality of medication self-management during Ramadan. Interventions are needed to heighten the awareness and skill of health care providers and patients alike to improve safe medication use outcomes during Ramadan.
References 1. Wilbur K. Pharmacists’ care of diabetes patients during Ramadan. Int J Clin Pharm. 2015. doi:10.1007/s11096-015-0095-2. 2. Amin ME. Pharmacists’ role in adjusting medication regimens for Muslim patients in Ramadan [Dissertation]. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison; 2013. p. 167. 3. Amin MEK, Chewning B. Community pharmacists’ knowledge of diabetes management during Ramadan in Egypt. Int J Clin Pharm. 2014;36:1213–21. 4. Amin MEK, Chewning B. Predicting pharmacists’ adjustment of medication regimens in Ramadan using the theory of planned behavior. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2015;11:e1–15. 5. Amin M, Chewning B. Pharmacists’ role in managing medications for Muslim patients with chronic conditions who decide to fast in Ramadan. In: Poster presentation at the 160th annual meeting of the American Pharmacists Association. 2013; March 1–4, Los Angeles, CA.
123
Int J Clin Pharm 6. Amin M, Chewning B. Community pharmacists’ knowledge of diabetes management during Ramadan. In: Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. 2013; July 13–17; Chicago, IL.
123
7. Wilbur K, Al Tawegni K, Remoden E. Diabetes patient management by pharmacists during Ramadan. BMJ Health Serv Res. 2014;14:117–23.
