Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Vitamin D Deficiency Among Community Pharmacists and Prescribing Doctors in Khartoum city, Sudan, 2020
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Vitamin D Deficiency Among Community Pharmacists and Prescribing Doctors in Khartoum city, Sudan, 2020
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Date
2020-11-30
Authors
Ali Awadallah Saeed
Mohamed Eid
Salman Ahmed
Mostafa Abboud
Braah Sami
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Wolters Kluwer - Medknow
Abstract
Vitamin D is a group of fat‑soluble vitamins responsible for intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphate. Vitamin D deficiency (VDD)
has reached an epidemic in both developed and developing countries. Literature review showed that population knowledge, attitude, and
practice concerning Vitamin D were poor. Prescribing doctors and pharmacist are an important source of health information. Hence, their
knowledge and practices about Vitamin D is essential for their roles and needs to be highlighted. Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess
knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding Vitamin D among community pharmacists and prescribing doctors in Khartoum City, Sudan, 2020.
Materials and Methods: An observational cross‑sectional study was carried out from February to April 2020 among 94 community pharmacists
and 106 prescribing doctors using a validated electronic delivery self‑administered questionnaire in Khartoum locality. Results: About 32.7%
and 41.9% from prescribing doctors and pharmacists had poor general knowledge, respectively, regarding VDD, while the significant trend was
found regarding the level of knowledge and year of experience (P = 0.022) of all health professionals (pharmacists and doctors). About 39.3%
and 44.1% from prescribing doctors and pharmacists, respectively, had poor nutrition knowledge score toward Vitamin D with a significant
trend regarding nutrition knowledge score and different gender groups (P = 0.02) of all health professionals in the study. About 49.5% and
47.5% from prescribing doctors and pharmacists, respectively, had poor attitude scores toward Vitamin D with a significant trend regarding
nutrition knowledge score and attitude score (P = 0.037) of all health professionals. Conclusion and Recommendations: This survey identified
a gap in the general knowledge, nutritional knowledge, and attitude among health‑care professionals (prescribing doctors and pharmacists).