Assessment of an Online Consumer “Ask Your Pharmacist” Service

2002 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 787-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitra Assemi ◽  
Nina M Torres ◽  
Candy Tsourounis ◽  
Lisa A Kroon ◽  
Gary M McCart
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Supplements ◽  
Drug Information ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Drug Efficacy ◽  
Medical Conditions ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Consumer Demographics ◽  
Medication Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Information Consumers

OBJECTIVE: To describe consumer demographics and the types of questions submitted to an online Ask Your Pharmacist (AYP) drug information service. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of a sample of consecutive queries submitted online to an AYP service between 1999 and 2000. All data were coded, transcribed, and evaluated in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Data regarding gender, age, patient relationship to consumer, allergies, medical conditions, products, and question types were evaluated. RESULTS: One thousand eighty-seven queries involving drug information or health-related questions were evaluated: 65% of the queries were from consumers requesting information for themselves; 55.2% of queries originated from women; 61% of consumers were between 19 and 55 years of age. The 5 most listed medical conditions were depression-related, hypertension, allergies, pain, and infectious disease. More than 60% of the questions involved prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medications; another 10% targeted herbal products or dietary supplements. Consumers were most interested in drug efficacy, safety, and drug interactions. CONCLUSIONS: An AYP online service is a relatively new, unique way for consumers to receive medication information. Consumers of all ages use AYP services for both acute and chronic conditions. Most consumers asked questions related to their own health or medications. Consumers were more likely to ask questions related to prescription and OTC medications than to botanical and dietary supplements. Consumers were primarily interested in drug efficacy and adverse effects.

Usefulness of Herbal and Dietary Supplement References

2003 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 494-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burgunda V Sweet ◽  
Wendy E Gay ◽  
Michelle A Leady ◽  
Janice L Stumpf
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Supplements ◽  
Dietary Supplement ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Drug Information ◽  
Information Service ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Allocation Of Resources ◽  
Internet Site ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
Natural Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To describe the usefulness of some of the most common tertiary references that healthcare professionals employ to answer requests about herbal and dietary supplements. METHODS: All requests for information on herbal and dietary supplements received by the drug information service between April and September 2000 were evaluated. Each question was independently reviewed by 4 clinicians using a 4-point scale; 14 references were searched for appropriate answers. The percent of responses for each of the possible scores for each reference overall and by category of question was reported to determine the most helpful references for answering the broadest range of questions. RESULTS: Fifty questions regarding herbal and dietary supplements were analyzed. The electronic databases (Natural Medicine Comprehensive Database, Micromedex) and the Internet site (The Natural Pharmacist) were determined to be overall the most helpful references for providing information on herbal and dietary supplements. The Natural Therapeutics Pocket Guide was the most helpful book reference. CONCLUSIONS: These results will facilitate the retrieval of useful information on herbal and dietary supplements and enable healthcare professionals to determine appropriate allocation of resources as they build a drug information library for handling requests about these products.

scholarly journals Diabetes Herbal Medicines and Dietary Supplements -adulteration and health related risks

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Dietary Supplements ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Pharmaceutical Medicine ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Active Ingredients ◽  
Best Interest ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Health Related

The current study aims to examine the problem of adulteration of herbal antidiabetic medicines with undeclared registered and banned pharmaceuticals. There is a growing trend where herbal medicines, dietary supplements and conventional foods are adulterated with hidden drugs and chemicals. These products are typically promoted for weight loss, lowering blood glucose, sexual enhancement and bodybuilding and are often represented as being “Natural.” Consumers should exercise caution before purchasing any product in the above categories. The FDA has taken the unprecedented step of warning diabetics not to purchase or use so-called “natural” diabetes treatments. In their most recent consumer bulletin, “Beware of Illegally Sold Diabetes Treatments,” the FDA asks diabetics to be on their guard when it comes to buying natural diabetic treatments online. Fraudulent diabetes products can be especially dangerous if we use them instead of proven treatments for diabetes. Without proper disease management, people with diabetes are at greater risk of developing serious complications. Undeclared ingredients can cause serious harm. If consumers and their health care professionals are unaware of the actual ingredients in the products they are taking, these products may interact in dangerous ways with other medications. Zayed Complex for Herbal Research & Traditional Medicine (ZCHRTM) lab. Department of Health (DOH) Abu Dhabi has identified an emerging trend where over-the-counter herbal products, frequently represented as dietary supplements, contain hidden active ingredients that could be harmful. Consumers may unknowingly take products laced with varying quantities of approved prescription drug ingredients, controlled substances, and untested and unstudied pharmaceutically active ingredients. ZCHRTM Research laboratory purchased diabetes samples from market as well as samples received from DOH, MOHAP and other government organizations, VIP’s and various other sources, revealed the presence of adulteration in many herbal medicinal products. These findings of ZCHRTM laboratory will help consumers, health care practitioners, and the public understands our action regarding diabetes products contaminated with various prescription drugs and chemicals. In continuation of our earlier studies, the main objective of the present study is to check pharmaceutical medicine adulteration of nonprescription and even prescription diabetes medicines in the laboratory using chromatographic and spectrometric techniques and to discuss its side effects in the best interest of consumers and public health safety (Chart -1). This paper also gives an overview of health-related risks after consuming such spurious products and challenges for future perspectives to control such type of malpractices [1-3].

The Medication Information Line for the Elderly: An 8-Year Cumulative Analysis

1998 ◽  
Vol 32 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 743-748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruby E Grymonpre ◽  
John W Steele
Keyword(s):  
Information Needs ◽  
Drug Information ◽  
Information Service ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Standard Format ◽  
Older Consumers ◽  
Medication Information ◽  
Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Agents ◽  
The University

OBJECTIVE: To present an 8-year (1985–1992) cumulative analysis of the 12 743 calls received by the Medication Information Line for the Elderly (MILE), a consumer-oriented drug information service. DESIGN: Data on all calls received by MILE were documented using a standard format. Certain calls were selected by the pharmacist for follow-up based on the nature and predicted severity of the inquiry. SETTING: MILE is located within the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Manitoba and staffed by experienced, practicing pharmacists. Calls were received from the elderly and their care providers. Calls were initially taken on a local Winnipeg line, although in 1987 a toll-free number was made available to rural Manitoba residents. RESULTS: The majority of the calls received by MILE were from women aged 65 years or older who accessed MILE on their own initiative. Ninety-one percent of the calls were rated as not serious. Only 6% of calls were from outside Winnipeg. Although 94% of the older consumers reported having a regular pharmacist, they commonly never thought of using their pharmacist for inquiries. The drugs cited most often by consumers, nurses, physicians, and dentists were the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents, cardiac drugs, diuretics, antihypertensives, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants. The types of inquiries most frequently involved adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, and therapeutic use. The drugs cited and inquiries made by pharmacist callers were more diverse than those of consumers and other healthcare professionals. CONCLUSIONS: Many older drug consumers have medication information needs that are not being met. Since a large proportion of the callers appeared to be self-motivated women, MILE may not be accessing all older consumers in need of information. This analysis also suggests that many older consumers are not aware that the pharmacist is available and capable of providing drug information.

PENGARUH PEMBERIAN PELAYANAN INFORMASI OBAT DAN KONSELING TERHADAP TINGKAT KEPATUHAN MINUM OBAT PADA PASIEN DIABETES MELITUS DENGAN HIPERTENSI DI RUMAH SAKIT DAERAH IDAMAN BANJARBARU

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-249
Author(s):  
Satrio Wibowo Rahmatullah ◽  
◽  
Ika Maulida Nurrahma ◽  
Adnan Syahrizal
Keyword(s):  
Drug Information ◽  
Treatment Success ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Regional Hospital ◽  
P Value ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
High Level ◽  
Chi Square Analysis

Compliance to achieve treatment success can be improved by providing drug information services (PIO) and counseling to improve understanding of treatment instructions. The general objective of this study was to determine the effect of drug information service and counseling on the level of medication adherence in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) with hypertension in the Banjarbaru Regional Hospital. This study uses a quasi experimental method with a cross sectional approach and takes patient data prospectively. The results of this study indicate that the group given PIO and counseling showed a high level of adherence as many as 20 respondents (100%). Whereas in the group that was not given PIO and the counseling level of adherence was low, there were 4 respondents (20%). Based on the mann-whitney analysis p-value = 0,000 (<α = 0.05) so that there are differences in the group with PIO and counseling with groups without PIO and counseling, while the chi square analysis p-value = 0.004 (<α = 0 , 05) so that PIO and counseling have a significant effect on the level of adherence to taking medication in patients with DM with hypertension at the Banjarbaru Regional Hospital.

scholarly journals Dietary supplement use in elementary school children: a Japanese web-based survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazue Ishitsuka ◽  
Satoshi Sasaki ◽  
Hidetoshi Mezawa ◽  
Mizuho Konishi ◽  
Maki Igarashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Supplements ◽  
Dietary Supplement ◽  
Sports Participation ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Mineral Supplements ◽  
Supplement Use ◽  
Health Related Behaviors ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Dietary Supplement Use ◽  
Frequency Of Sports Participation

Abstract Background A variety of dietary supplements are commercially available. However, the efficacy and safety of dietary supplement use in children are not well established. Understanding dietary supplement use is important for developing public health policy regarding dietary supplements. This study aimed to investigate the types of dietary supplements used and characteristics of dietary supplement users among Japanese elementary school children. Method We conducted a cross-sectional web-based questionnaire study. Dietary supplement use, socio-demographics, and health-related behaviors were assessed through mother-reported questionnaire. Types of dietary supplements were identified based on ingredient using product barcodes and brand names. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the socio-demographics and health-related behaviors associated with supplement use. Results Among 4933 children, 333 (6.8%) were identified as dietary supplement users. The most common supplement was amino acids or protein (1.4%), followed by n–3 fatty acids or fish oil (1.0%), probiotics (1.0%), multivitamins (0.9%), multivitamin-minerals (0.8%), and botanicals (0.8%). Overall, any dietary supplement use was significantly associated with the highest frequency of sports participation (odds ratio [OR], 2.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65–4.02), highest household income (OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.13–3.10), highest maternal educational level (OR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.31–2.52), and male sex (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.09–1.75). The highest frequency of sports participation was significantly associated with higher odds of use of amino acids or protein (OR, 6.06; 95% CI, 1.78–20.6) and multivitamins (OR, 3.56; 95% CI, 1.11–11.5), compared to the lowest frequency of sports participation. Conclusion This study showed that Japanese children primarily use non-vitamin, non-mineral supplements. Non-vitamin, non-mineral supplements should thus be included in future studies aimed at monitoring dietary supplement use. We also found that dietary supplement use in children was associated with sports participation. Guidelines for dietary supplement use for children, in particular sport participants, are needed.

scholarly journals A Health Risk Assessment of Lead and Other Metals in Pharmaceutical Herbal Products and Dietary Supplements Containing Ginkgo biloba in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8285
Author(s):  
Patricia Rojas ◽  
Elizabeth Ruiz-Sánchez ◽  
Camilo Ríos ◽  
Ángel Ruiz-Chow ◽  
Aldo A. Reséndiz-Albor
Keyword(s):  
Health Risk ◽  
Dietary Supplements ◽  
Mexico City ◽  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
Ginkgo Biloba ◽  
Graphite Furnace ◽  
Human Health Risk ◽  
Daily Intake ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Herbal Products

The use of the medicinal plant Ginkgo biloba has increased worldwide. However, G. biloba is capable of assimilating both essential and toxic metals, and the ingestion of contaminated products can cause damage to health. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety of manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and cadmium (Cd) in 26 items containing Ginkgo biloba (pharmaceutical herbal products, dietary supplements, and traditional herbal remedies) purchased in the metropolitan area of Mexico City. Metal analysis was performed using a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer. All of the products were contaminated with Pb, 54% of them with As, and 81% with Cd. The lowest values of Pb, As, and Cd were detected in pharmaceutical herbal products > dietary supplements > traditional herbal remedies. The daily intake dose (DID) of pharmaceutical herbal products was within the established limits for the five metals. Dietary supplements and traditional herbal remedies exceeded the DID limits for Pb. The hazard quotients estimation and non-carcinogenic cumulative hazard estimation index for Mn, As, and Cd indicated no human health risk. Our results suggest that products containing G. biloba for sale in Mexico are not a health risk.

scholarly journals Knowledge and Patterns of Dietary Supplement Use among Students Attending King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 004695802110208
Author(s):  
Abdulraof Alqrache ◽  
Mostafa Mostafa ◽  
Omar Ghabrah ◽  
Ziyad Ghabrah ◽  
Nezar Kamal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Supplements ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Supplement Use ◽  
King Abdulaziz University ◽  
Dietary Supplement Use ◽  
Harmful Effects ◽  
Selection Of

Oral dietary supplements (DSs) include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, energy drinks, and herbal products. The use of DSs is increasing and their manufacturers promote their benefits. Studies have validated some of these benefits, but have also indicated that some DSs can have adverse effects, especially if used without the appropriate supervision. Little information on DS use among Saudis is available. This study assessed the use of dietary supplements among male and female university students with the goal of educating the community about DSs and the dangers associated with their misuse. Online and paper validated questionnaires were administered to King Abdulaziz University (KAU) students between September 2019 and January 2020. The responses were collected and analyzed statistically. Of the 954 KAU students who completed the survey, one-third used DSs (42.9% women vs 25.7% men). Of these, 51.7% believed that DSs are essential for health, 41.7% classified them as both food and drugs, 67.2% were aware that DSs could not replace a healthy diet, and 25.8% were aware of their potentially harmful effects. Multivitamins and minerals were the most used DSs. DS awareness among KAU students is limited. Additional health education is necessary to assist students in their selection of the most suitable DSs.

scholarly journals Herb–Drug Interactions: Worlds Intersect with the Patient at the Center

Medicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Mary Beth Babos ◽  
Michelle Heinan ◽  
Linda Redmond ◽  
Fareeha Moiz ◽  
Joao Victor Souza-Peres ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Interaction ◽  
Case Report ◽  
Drug Interactions ◽  
Clinical Studies ◽  
Drug Information ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Full Information ◽  
Information Need ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Reduce Risk

This review examines three bodies of literature related to herb–drug interactions: case reports, clinical studies, evaluations found in six drug interaction checking resources. The aim of the study is to examine the congruity of resources and to assess the degree to which case reports signal for further study. A qualitative review of case reports seeks to determine needs and perspectives of case report authors. Methods: Systematic search of Medline identified clinical studies and case reports of interacting herb–drug combinations. Interacting herb–drug pairs were searched in six drug interaction resources. Case reports were analyzed qualitatively for completeness and to identify underlying themes. Results: Ninety-nine case-report documents detailed 107 cases. Sixty-five clinical studies evaluated 93 mechanisms of interaction relevant to herbs reported in case studies, involving 30 different herbal products; 52.7% of these investigations offered evidence supporting reported reactions. Cohen’s kappa found no agreement between any interaction checker and case report corpus. Case reports often lacked full information. Need for further information, attitudes about herbs and herb use, and strategies to reduce risk from interaction were three primary themes in the case report corpus. Conclusions: Reliable herb–drug information is needed, including open and respectful discussion with patients.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document