Exploring physicians' prescribing behavior in patients with multiple sclerosis in Saudi Arabia: a sequential explanatory mixed-methods.

Autor: Al-Omar HA; Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box: 2457, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia. halomar@ksu.edu.sa.; Health Technology Assessment Unit (HTAU), College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box: 2457, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia. halomar@ksu.edu.sa., Alsowaida N; Department of Pharmacy Services, King Saud University Medical City, P.O. Box: 2457, Riyadh, 11472, Saudi Arabia. nadalsowaida@gmail.com., Aldosari L; Department of Pharmacy, Maternity and Children Hospital, Ministry of Health, Al Kharj, 16278, Saudi Arabia., Mayet A; Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box: 2457, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia., Bunyan R; Department of Neurology, Neurosciences Center, King Fahd Specialist Hospital, Dammam, 32253, Saudi Arabia., Aljumah M; Department of Neurology, King Fahad Medical City, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, 11525, Saudi Arabia. jumahm@gmail.com.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: BMC neurology [BMC Neurol] 2023 Mar 31; Vol. 23 (1), pp. 135. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Mar 31.
DOI: 10.1186/s12883-023-03184-9
Abstrakt: Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common disabling neurological disease in young adults worldwide with majority of patients manifest symptoms between 20 and 40 years of age. The aims of this study are to explore physicians' perspectives, views, and behaviors in diagnosing and treating patients with MS in Saudi Arabia and investigate the prescribing pattern of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs).
Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-method approach was used to achieve the study objectives. The quantitative arm of the study consisted of patient data extracted from the Saudi MS registry from 2015 to 2018. The qualitative study consisted of in-depth semi-structured interviews with physicians using a validated interview topic guide comprising 28 open-ended questions.
Results: We extracted data of 2,507 patients from 20 different hospitals across Saudi Arabia. Patients' mean age was 34 ± 10 years; two-thirds (n = 1,668) were female. 92% (n = 2,292) had relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, and 5% (n = 126) had secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis. In general, patients with MS received at least one drug as the DMT or DMTs and corticosteroids for those with relapse. Qualitatively, nine physicians agreed to participate in the interviews. Of them, five (55%) were male and four were female from different regions. Thematic analysis yielded three main themes: practice, views, and challenges.
Conclusions: The prevalence of MS in Saudi Arabia is raising but is still much lower than that reported in the Gulf region. A national MS guideline is needed to streamline diagnosis and treatment criteria, avoid any delay in treatment, and guide physicians who provide care for patients with MS.
(© 2023. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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