Open AccessAssessment of the need for pharmacogenomics education among pharmacists in the West Bank of Palestine
Author(s) -
Jarrar Yazun,
Musleh Rami,
Ghanim Mustafa,
AbuKhader Imad,
Jarrar Qais
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of clinical practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.756
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1742-1241
pISSN - 1368-5031
DOI - 10.1111/ijcp.14435
Subject(s) - pharmacogenomics , medicine , pharmacy , family medicine , health care , pharmacotherapy , pharmacology , nursing , economics , economic growth
Background Pharmacogenomics testing aims to optimise therapy and reduce the inter‐individual variation in drug response. One of the major barriers against the implementation of pharmacogenomics testing is the low level of knowledge on the topic. Aims This study aimed to evaluate the need for pharmacogenomics education among pharmacists in the West Bank of Palestine. Methods This study was cross‐sectional and included 370 pharmacists, among different cities in the West Bank of Palestine between October and December 2020. The questionnaire consisted of 25 close‐ended questions that evaluated the exposure to pharmacogenomics education, attitude toward the role of pharmacogenomics testing in clinical practice and self‐capability of pharmacists in pharmacogenomics testing. Results It was found that 60% of the respondents disagreed that pharmacogenomics was an integral part of the pharmacy school curriculum and/or experiential education. The vast majority of the respondents (94%) agreed that pharmacists should be required to have some knowledge of pharmacogenomics. The majority of the respondents (88.6%) believe that pharmacogenomics testing will improve pharmacists' ability to more effectively control drug therapy expenditures. However, only 38% of the respondents could identify medications that require pharmacogenomics testing, and only 35.1% could identify reliable sources of information regarding pharmacogenomics for healthcare providers and patients. Conclusion It is seen from the results of this study that there is a high need to learn about pharmacogenomics testing, which can help the pharmacists make pharmacotherapy decisions. Additionally, current pharmacists have low self‐confidence in making decisions depending on the results of pharmacogenomics testing. It is recommended to increase the exposure of pharmacogenomics knowledge by including the subject in courses and workshops in pharmacy school curricula in the West Bank of Palestine.