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  1. Hadi H, Elkalmi R, Awadh A, Jamshed S, Al-Shami A
    Value Health, 2014 Nov;17(7):A605.
    PMID: 27202095 DOI: 10.1016/j.jval.2014.08.2105
    Objectives: To evaluate the knowledge and perception of medical and pharmacy students toward the usage of sunblock as skin protection against ultraviolet (UV).
    Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among the undergraduate final year medical and pharmacy students at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Validated questionnaire were used to collect the data. The questionnaires were distributed to 134 students from medicine and 100 pharmacy students. Descriptive and inferential statistics are used whenever appropriate.
    Results: Overall, 161 participants out of a total of 234 completed the questionnaire with 101 medical students (75.4%) and 60 pharmacy students (60.0%). Majority of the respondents were female 64 (63.4%) and 37 (36.6%) were male. The median of knowledge scores of the final year medical students was significantly lower than the final year pharmacy students (p<0.01). There is no significant differnce between the knowledge of the female and male students (Mann Whitney U Test value = 0.27, p<0.01). This study reported that 24 (39.3 %) of pharmacy students were influenced by the media to use sunblock whereas 35 (34.7%) of medical students had the highest influence from friends to use sunblock. However, this study showed there was no significant difference in the perception of pharmacy and medical students p=0.020.
    Conclusion: In conclusion, the knowledge of pharmacy students is significantly higher than the knowledge of medical students had on the usage of sunblock. Both medical and pharmacy students have the same level of perception towards the usage of sunblock.
  2. Elkalmi R, Hassali MA, Al-Lela OQ, Jawad Awadh AI, Al-Shami AK, Jamshed SQ
    J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2013 Jul;5(3):224-8.
    PMID: 24082699 DOI: 10.4103/0975-7406.116824
    The objective of this study was to explore the knowledge of the general population towards ADR and their reporting system.
  3. Elnaem MH, Mansour NO, Nahas AF, Baraka MA, Elkalmi R, Cheema E
    Int J Gen Med, 2020;13:1395-1409.
    PMID: 33324086 DOI: 10.2147/IJGM.S285191
    Background: This study aims to discuss, summarize and compare the renal outcomes associated with non-insulin antidiabetic (AD) pharmacotherapy prescribed for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

    Methods: A systematic search using predefined search terms in three scholarly databases, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and PubMed, was conducted. Original research articles published in the English language between 2012 and 2020 that reported renal outcomes associated with the use of non-insulin AD pharmacotherapy were eligible for inclusion. Review articles, meta-analysis studies, and conference proceedings were excluded. A study-specific data extraction form was designed to extract the author's name, country, publication year, study design, study population, objectives, key findings, and conclusions. A narrative review of the key findings that focused on renal outcomes and renal safety issues was conducted.

    Results: Of the 18,872 results identified through the initial search, a total of 32 articles were included in this review. Of these, 18 of the included articles reported the renal outcomes of newer antidiabetic medications, eg, SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 agonists. Eight studies focussed on the well-established antidiabetic medications, eg, metformin and sulphonylureas. The review reported three main types of the clinical impact of the prescribed AD on the renal outcomes: "renoprotective effects", "no additional risk" and "associated with a decline in renal parameters". Seventeen studies reported the renoprotective effects of AD, including SGLT2i studies (n=8), GLP1 studies (n=6), and DPP4i studies (n=3). The reported renoprotective effects included slowing down the GFR decline, improving albuminuria, and reducing renal adverse events. The "no additional risk" impact was reported in eight studies, including DPP4i studies (n=3), two SGLT2i studies (n=2), metformin studies (n=2), and one study involving pioglitazone. Furthermore, seven studies highlighted the "associated with a decline in renal parameters" effect. Of these, three involved SGLT2i, two with metformin, and one for each DPP4i and sulphonylurea.

    Conclusion: More than half of the studies included in this review supported the renoprotective effects associated with the use of AD medications, particularly GLP-1A, SGLT2i, and some of the DPP4i. Further studies involving patients with various stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are required to compare AD medications' renal effects, particularly the newer agents.

  4. Blebil A, Dujaili J, Elkalmi R, Tan HLK, Tai MS, Khan TM
    J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2020 01 29;12(1):64-71.
    PMID: 32801602 DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_152_19
    Introduction: Pharmacists have been well recognized as an active and have a more integrated role in the preventive services within the National Health Services. This study assessed the community pharmacists' attitudes, beliefs, and practices toward oral health in the Malaysian setting.

    Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey-based study was used to conduct this project. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was developed and distributed among community pharmacists within Kuala Lumpur and Selangor states areas, Malaysia. The data collection was carried out from the beginning of November to the end of December 2018.

    Results: Of the 255 pharmacists, 206 agreed to participate in the study, yielding a response rate of 80.8%. Overall, approximately half of the pharmacists provided two to five oral health consultations per week and two to five over the counter (OTC) oral health products recommendations per week. The main services provided by community pharmacists in were the provision of OTC treatments (93.7%), referral of consumers to dental or medical practitioners when appropriate (82.5%), and identify signs and symptoms of oral health problems in patients (77.2%). In addition, more than 80% of the pharmacists viewed positively and supported integrating oral health promotion and preventive measures into their practices. The most commonly reported barriers to extending the roles of pharmacists in oral health care include lack of knowledge or training in this field, lack of training resources, and lack of oral health educational promotion materials.

    Conclusion: The study shows that community pharmacists had been providing a certain level of oral health services and play an important role in oral health. The findings highlighted the need of an interprofessional partnership between the pharmacy professional bodies with Malaysian dental associations to develop, and evaluate evidence-based resources, guidelines, the scope of oral health in pharmacy curricula and services to deliver improved oral health care within Malaysian communities.

  5. Blebil AQ, Dujaili JA, Mohammed AH, Thiruchelvam K, Lee S, Elkalmi R, et al.
    Adv Med Educ Pract, 2022;13:95-102.
    PMID: 35082550 DOI: 10.2147/AMEP.S344872
    Introduction: There is a predicted growth of up to 17% in an older adult of Malaysian above 60 years of age by 2040. This will increase the workload of almost every healthcare provider to ensure optimal geriatric care.

    Purpose: This study aimed to assess pharmacy students' knowledge and attitudes towards geriatric pharmacy education and older patients to determine their preparation in delivering appropriate medical care to the geriatric population.

    Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were distributed among pharmacy students in different Malaysian universities. The survey included several sections to assess multiple aspects such as sociodemographic information, assessment of knowledge using a validated 28-item Geriatric Knowledge Assessment Scale (GKAS), and attitudes towards geriatrics education.

    Results: The response rate was around 70% of the respondents. The mean (± standard deviation) age of the cohort was 22.28 (±1.12) years. Despite around 78% of pharmacy students claiming that their knowledge of geriatric care is adequate, their GKAS score showed that only around 20% have high geriatric knowledge. Around 80% of them showed a positive attitude on the importance of taking courses focused on geriatric care and demonstrated interest to further knowledge and training in geriatric care. However, more than half of the students were uncertain of their answers towards their attitudes regarding older patients.

    Conclusion: Given the growing role of pharmacists in the ageing population, this study highlights the importance of geriatric care education among potential pharmacists. Therefore, we urge the need to improve/develop geriatrics education and training into the pharmacy curriculum to ensure sufficient preparation for actual practice after graduation.

  6. Elnaem MH, Barakat M, Mubarak N, K T MS, Abdelaziz DH, Fathelrahman AI, et al.
    Saudi Pharm J, 2023 Mar;31(3):410-416.
    PMID: 36744104 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsps.2023.01.008
    INTRODUCTION: Grit is proposed as an essential trait for academic achievement. Thus, evaluating its current status and the associated factors could aid academic support planning.

    OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to assess grit level and its related factors among undergraduate pharmacy students from 14 countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted among pharmacy students from 14 countries in Asia and the Middle East. A 31-item questionnaire was developed, validated, and pilot-tested, including the validated short scale for grit assessment. The data was collected between 1 February and 15 April 2022. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed as appropriate.

    RESULTS: A total of 2665 responses were received, mainly from females (68.7 %), living in urban areas (69.2 %) and studying at private universities (59.1 %). The average grit score on a scale of 5 was 3.15 ± 0.54. The responses revealed higher favourable responses to items on the perseverance of efforts (34.9 % to 54 %) compared to items on the consistency of interests (26.5 % to 31.1 %). Students who did not exercise (AOR: 0.47, 95 %CI: 0.33-0.67) or exercised irregularly (AOR: 0.64, 95 %CI: 0.45-0.90) were less likely to have higher grit scores than those who exercised regularly. Additionally, students who did not receive COVID-19 vaccination (AOR: 0.50, 95 %CI: 0.36-0.71) or received only one dose (AOR: 0.67, 95 %CI: 0.46-0.99) were less likely to have higher grit scores than those who received their booster vaccination. Interestingly, students who chose the pharmacy program as their only available or reasonable choice (AOR: 0.33, 95 %CI: 0.17-0.62) and students from public universities (AOR: 0.82, 95 %CI: 0.68-0.98) were less likely to have higher grit scores. On the other hand, students who did not face educational challenges with online learning (AOR: 1.19, 95 %CI: 1.003-1.416) and students with excellent (AOR: 2.28, 95 %CI: 1.57-3.31) and very good (AOR: 2.16, 95 %CI: 1.53-3.04) academic performance were more likely to have higher grit scores.

    CONCLUSION: The findings revealed moderate grit levels. Higher grit levels were thought to be associated with several personal, lifestyle and academic factors. Further interventions to support students' grit attributes are required, particularly concerning the consistency of interests.

  7. Jamshed SQ, Elkalmi R, Rajiah K, Al-Shami AK, Shamsudin SH, Siddiqui MJ, et al.
    J Infect Dev Ctries, 2014;8(6):780-5.
    PMID: 24916878 DOI: 10.3855/jidc.3833
    This study is aimed to investigate the understanding of antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance and its correlate factors among final-year medical and pharmacy students at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).
  8. Elnaem MH, Mubarak N, K T MS, Barakat M, Abdelaziz DH, Mansour NO, et al.
    Front Public Health, 2022;10:1011376.
    PMID: 36388263 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1011376
    BACKGROUND: Pharmacy students will assume future roles as frontline healthcare providers. Therefore, evaluating their current state of mental wellbeing and its associated factors is essential for better planning students' support initiatives. This study aimed to assess mental wellbeing and its associated factors among undergraduate pharmacy students from 14 countries during the pandemic.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate pharmacy students in 14 countries in Asia and the Middle East. The validated Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (the 14-item WEMWBS) was adopted to assess mental wellbeing. Data collection was performed online between February and April 2022. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used as appropriate.

    RESULTS: A total of 2,665 responses were received, mainly from females (68.7%) with a higher presence of private universities (59.1%). About 34.9% had low mental wellbeing levels, while 57 and 8.1% had medium, and high levels, respectively. Binary logistic regression showed that males (AOR: 1.34; CI 95%: 1.11-1.61; p < 0.01) and students with no chronic illnesses (AOR: 2.01; CI 95%: 1.45-2.80; p < 0.001) were more likely to have higher mental wellbeing. Also, participants who did not engage in any exercise (AOR: 0.71; CI 95%: 0.52-0.98; p = 0.04) and those in public universities (AOR: 0.82; CI 95%: 0.69-0.97; p = 0.02) were less likely to have higher mental wellbeing. Additionally, students who had interest/passion for pharmacy (AOR: 1.69; CI 95%: 1.07-2.68; p = 0.02), and those who known pharmacists inspired (AOR: 1.81; CI 95%: 1.06-3.12; p = 0.03), were more likely to have higher mental wellbeing compared with those who had no specific reason for their choice to study pharmacy. The participants with excellent (AOR: 1.87; CI 95%: 1.29-2.70; p = 0.001) or very good self-reported academic performance (AOR: 1.57; CI 95%: 1.12-2.22; p = 0.01) were more likely to have higher mental wellbeing compared to those with fair academic performance.

    CONCLUSION: More than a third of the participants had low mental wellbeing. Various demographic, lifestyle, medical and academic factors appeared to affect students' mental wellbeing. Careful consideration of these factors and their integration into the pharmacy schools' plans for student support services and academic advising would be essential to improve students' mental wellbeing.

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