Background: Occupational exposure to hazardous drugs occurs in all aspects of anticancer drug handling. Proper recommendations and guidelines should be applied to control and reduce exposure. Objective: To assess pharmacists' knowledge and practice regarding the safe handling of anticancer drugs. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at seven major hospitals in Baghdad City, Iraq, from December 2023 to February 2024. A pre-designed questionnaire was given to pharmacists who handled anticancer drugs in chemotherapy units. The questionnaire comprises sociodemographic data, knowledge of the safe handling of cytotoxic drugs and thoughts about exposure and risk, practices for safely handling cytotoxic drugs, and challenges for safely handling cytotoxic drugs. Results: A total of 126 pharmacists were enrolled in the study. Less than half of the participants (46%) received training on anticancer drugs. While more than a third (42.9%) of the pharmacists were handling more than 100 cytotoxic preparations weekly, the total knowledge score was 7.14, while the total practice score was 73.36, with less than half of the pharmacists having good knowledge (44.44%) or practice (48.41%). Pharmacists who received training had significantly higher total practice scores than those who did not. Pharmacists with more than 100 weekly preparations were more knowledgeable than those with 50–99 preparations. Conclusions: The majority of participating pharmacists had fair to excellent knowledge and practice regarding the safe handling of cytotoxic medications. However, there were some gaps regarding important knowledge and practice issues. To improve knowledge and practices regarding anticancer handling, training is necessary.
In the last few years, following the relative stability of the political, economic, and security environments, Iraq has embarked on a transformation towards an ambitious program of automation across various sectors. However, this automation program faces numerous challenges, including significant investments in technology and training, addressing social impacts, and combating widespread illiteracy
Background: Community pharmacists endure significantly elevated levels of work-related stress and depression, posing a threat to their overall well-being and possibly affecting the quality of patient care. Objectives: To explore workplace-associated stress and depression in Iraqi community pharmacists. Methods: This observational study was conducted using a cross-sectional design. Information was gathered through the utilization of an internet-based survey. The study involved a community pharmacist with a minimum of one year of experience working at community pharmacies. The survey utilized pre-validated questionnaires. The level of stress experienced was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)-10, while the level of depression was
... Show MoreIntroduction: Infection control or hospital-acquired infections are the major concern of the health care system and agencies. Critical care nurses are on the first-line contact with the patients, so on, they are most vulnerable to acquired infections. It is really important to regularly check their knowledge and practices concerning infection control. Objectives: The study aims to identify the impact of years’ experience on nurses’ knowledge and practices concerning infection control in three hospitals and center (Baghdad teaching hospital, Ibn Al-Nafees hospital, and Ibn al-Bitar center) Methodology: Cross-sectional study was conducted, the study starting from 4th of July 2020 to 13th of November 2020. Non-probability (purposive) sampl
... Show MoreBreast cancer is the most diagnosed form of malignant tumour in Iraqi women. Tamoxifen and trastuzumab are highly effective adjuvant therapy for breast cancer.
This study's objectives were to define the patient's belief in tamoxifen or trastuzumab when used as adjuvant therapy and to determine the variation in belief between the two medications in a sample of Iraqi breast cancer patients.
The cross-section survey was conducted using the BMQ-Specific questionnaire. Ninety-seven participants (sixty-seven tamoxifen, thirty trastuzumab) participated in this study.
The mean of specific-necessity scale for tamoxifen was (3.7) and for trastuzumab (4). The findings showed a high necessity for both medicines, and there wer
... Show MoreBreast cancer is the most diagnosed form of malignant tumour in Iraqi women. Tamoxifen and trastuzumab are highly effective adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. This study's objectives were to define the patient's belief in tamoxifen or trastuzumab when used as adjuvant therapy and to determine the variation in belief between the two medications in a sample of Iraqi breast cancer patients. The cross-section survey was conducted using the BMQ-Specific questionnaire. Ninety-seven participants (sixty-seven tamoxifen, thirty trastuzumab) participated in this study. The mean of specific-necessity scale for tamoxifen was (3.7) and for trastuzumab (4). The findings showed a high necessity for both medicines, and there were
... Show MoreBreast cancer is the most diagnosed form of malignant tumour in Iraqi women. Tamoxifen and trastuzumab are highly effective adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. This study's objectives were to define the patient's belief in tamoxifen or trastuzumab when used as adjuvant therapy and to determine the variation in belief between the two medications in a sample of Iraqi breast cancer patients. The cross-section survey was conducted using the BMQ-Specific questionnaire. Ninety-seven participants (sixty-seven tamoxifen, thirty trastuzumab) participated in this study. The mean of specific-necessity scale for tamoxifen was (3.7) and for trastuzumab (4). The findings showed a high necessity for both medicines, and there were
... Show MoreABSTRACT: Objectives: To study the level of knowledge , attitude and practice of primary health care providers about herbs , and their relation with certain demographic variables Methods : A cross sectional study was conducted using questionnaire administered to Health Care providers at ten Primary Health Care Centers in Baghdad. Results: Four handed participants were recruited, the most common source of knowledge in the medical group were books , while the paramedical group were getting their knowledge mostly from media, attitude of the medical group was neutral (53%) while among paramedical group attitude was positive (65%), the most common purposes for using herbs were energy boosting and preventive. Conclusion: healthcare providers in B
... Show MoreIntroduction: Candida spp. has become increasingly resistant to antifungal drugs, with elevated MIC levels causing a negative medical impact and increasing the number of patients at risk of candidiasis. According to the CDC, about 7% of Candida blood samples show reduced susceptibility to fluconazole. Monitoring the antifungal resistance profile of Candida spp. is vital, as non-Albicans species may limit treatment options. Objective: Evaluate the antifungal effectiveness against clinical Candida spp. isolates of six antifungals: amphotericin B, fluconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, caspofungin, and 5-fluorocytosine. Methods: 100 samples were collected from various clinical samples at the National Centre of Teaching Laboratories
... Show MoreIntroduction Oral biopsy is a fundamental diagnostic procedure in dentistry, essential for the early detection of oral cancer and other pathologies. While theoretical knowledge is a core component of dental education, the translation of this knowledge into clinical confidence and practical ability is critical for patient care. Objective: : evaluate the awareness, knowledge, and self-perceived ability to perform oral biopsies Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among dental students. Participants (n=110) comprising 14 multiple-choice questions assessing key variables: knowledge of biopsy principles, techniques, lesion identification, specimen preservation, and ability to perform the procedure Results: While theoretica
... Show MoreThe multiple linear regression model is an important regression model that has attracted many researchers in different fields including applied mathematics, business, medicine, and social sciences , Linear regression models involving a large number of independent variables are poorly performing due to large variation and lead to inaccurate conclusions , One of the most important problems in the regression analysis is the multicollinearity Problem, which is considered one of the most important problems that has become known to many researchers , As well as their effects on the multiple linear regression model, In addition to multicollinearity, the problem of outliers in data is one of the difficulties in constructing the reg
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