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Fulltext Knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicines among pharmacy students of a Malaysian public university

Jamshed SQ, Khan MU, Ahmad A, Elkalmi RM

J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2016 3 10;8(1):34-8.
PMID: 26957866 DOI: 10.4103/0975-7406.171686

BACKGROUND: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is consistently on the rise worldwide. Consumers often consider pharmacists as a major source of information about CAM products and their safety. Due to the limitation of data, it is worth exploring the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of pharmacy students toward CAM.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of pharmacy students regarding the use of CAM in Malaysia.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted for 3 months among Bachelor of Pharmacy students in a public sector University of Malaysia. A pretested, self-administered questionnaire, comprised four sections, was used to collect the data from 440 participants. Descriptive analysis was used, and Chi-square test was used to test the association between dependent and independent variables.
RESULTS: Of 440 questionnaire distributed, 287 were returned giving a response rate of (65.2%). The results showed that 38.6% participants gave correct answers when asked about the use of herbal products with digoxin. Majority of the participants were knowledgeable about supplementary therapy (25.3%) while the lack of knowledge was mostly evident in traditional Chinese medicines (73.7%). Majority of the students were either neutral (49.5%) or disagreed that (42.8%) CAM use is unsafe. Females were more in disagreement to the statements than males (P = 0.007). Majority of students also agreed to use CAM therapies for their health and well-being (51.2%).
CONCLUSION: The study revealed that pharmacy students did not have adequate knowledge of CAM though their attitudes and perceptions were relatively positive.
The use of sunscreen products among final year medicine and pharmacy students: A cross-sectional study of knowledge, attitude, practice, and perception

Awadh AI, Jamshed S, Elkalmi RM, Hadi H

J Res Pharm Pract, 2016 Jul-Sep;5(3):193-9.
PMID: 27512711 DOI: 10.4103/2279-042X.185731

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the knowledge, attitude, perception, and practice of medical and pharmacy students toward the usage of sunscreen as protection for the skin against ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among final year medical and pharmacy undergraduates at the International Islamic University Malaysia. Validated questionnaires were distributed to 134 medical students and 100 pharmacy students. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used where appropriate.
FINDINGS: One hundred and sixty-one out of 234 participants completed the questionnaires. The participants comprised 101 medical students (75.4%) and sixty pharmacy students (60.0%). The majority of the respondents were females (102; 63.4%), and 59 (36.6%) were males. The median of the knowledge scores of the final year medical students was significantly lower than that of the final year pharmacy students (P < 0.001). The female students showed significantly higher knowledge scores than the male students (P = 0.027). This study reported that 24 (39.3%) pharmacy students were influenced by the media to use sunscreen, whereas 35 (34.7%) medical students were influenced the most by friends to use sunscreen. The final year pharmacy students had a better perception compared to the medical students, with the total perception score of the final year pharmacy students being significantly higher than that of the final year medical students (P = 0.020). Most of the participants were also aware of the harmful effects of UV radiation and had a positive reaction toward the usage of sunscreen to prevent those harmful effects.
CONCLUSION: The knowledge and perception of final year pharmacy students were significantly higher than the knowledge and perception of final year medical students with regard to the usage of sunscreen.
KEYWORDS: Attitude; knowledge; perception; practice; sunscreen
Fulltext Retrospective Assessment of the Reporting of Adverse Drug Reactions in a Malaysian Clinical Training Center: A Short Communication

Elkalmi RM, Elnaem MH, Sapar NM, Blebil A

J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2021 11 24;13(3):325-330.
PMID: 35017889 DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_577_20

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the completeness and quality of adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports that were submitted to the Pharmacovigilance Unit (PVU) in clinical training center (CTC), Faculty of Medicine, UiTM Sungai Buloh Campus.
Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using all ADR reports that were submitted to the PVU in CTC from December 31, 2000, to December 31, 2018. The completeness was assessed by reviewing all the required elements to be filled in the ADR reports. The quality was assessed by investigating the required information in the ADR reporting form. Descriptive statistics have been used to present the findings.
Key Findings: In a total of 31 reports that were submitted to the PVU in CTC, 98.9% of patient's information and 100% of ADR descriptions were completed. Suspected drug information and the reporter's details were completed by 52.2% and 79.6%, respectively. Of 58.0% of the information about seriousness recorded, 38.9% (n = 7) is mild, 44.4% (n = 8) is moderate, and 16.7% (n = 3) is severe. Among all the suspected medicines, drug class of antibiotics (32.4%, n = 12) is the most reported suspected drugs that caused ADR, followed by opioid analgesic (8.1%, n = 3) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (8.1%, n = 3).
Conclusion: Further efforts and relevant interventions should be considered to increase the reporting frequency and to enhance the completeness and the quality of the ADR reports in the study setting.
Fulltext New pharmacovigilance course at the International Islamic University Malaysia-IIUM

Al-lela OQ, Elkalmi RM, Jamshed SQ

Am J Pharm Educ, 2013 Jun 12;77(5):106.
PMID: 23788817 DOI: 10.5688/ajpe775106
Fulltext Immunization knowledge and practice among Malaysian parents: a questionnaire development and pilot-testing

Awadh AI, Hassali MA, Al-lela OQ, Bux SH, Elkalmi RM, Hadi H

BMC Public Health, 2014;14:1107.
PMID: 25346471 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-1107

Parents are the main decision makers for their children vaccinations. This fact makes parents' immunization knowledge and practices as predictor factors for immunization uptake and timeliness. The aim of this pilot study was to develop a reliable and valid instrument in Malaysian language to measure immunization knowledge and practice (KP) of Malaysian parents.
Fulltext Does an educational intervention improve parents' knowledge about immunization? Experience from Malaysia

Awadh AI, Hassali MA, Al-Lela OQ, Bux SH, Elkalmi RM, Hadi H

BMC Pediatr, 2014;14:254.
PMID: 25284603 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2431-14-254

Parents' knowledge about immunization is an important predictor factor for their children's immunization status. The aims of this study were to assess parents' knowledge and to evaluate the effect of a short educational intervention on improving parents' knowledge of childhood immunization.
Effect of Religious Beliefs on the Smoking Behaviour of University Students: Quantitative Findings From Malaysia

Elkalmi RM, Alkoudmani RM, Elsayed TM, Ahmad A, Khan MU

J Relig Health, 2016 Dec;55(6):1869-75.
PMID: 26429730 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-015-0136-0

The Malaysian official Islamic authorities have issued a "fatwa" (Islamic ruling) regarding smoking practice which prohibits Muslims from smoking because of its potential harm to health. Since the prevalence of smoking among Malaysian students is high, this study was designed to explore the perceptions and opinions of Malaysian Muslim students towards smoking in International Islamic University of Malaysia. A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted among School of Science students in International Islamic University Malaysia. Convenience sampling approach was used to recruit 323 students based on sample size calculation. A content- and face-validated questionnaire was used to collect the data from the participants. Non-smokers highly supported the fatwa on smoking forbiddance than smokers (94 vs 64.3 %, p = 0.001). A significant proportion of non-smokers believed that Islam prohibits smoking because of its potential harm (94.9 vs 71.4 %, p = 0.001). Majority of smokers agreed that addiction is the main barrier towards smoking cessation (78.6 vs 61.5 %, p = 0.019). The results showed positive influences of Islamic beliefs on the non-smokers. Further studies are required to validate these findings by surveying other universities of Malaysia.
Fulltext Prevalence of depression among health sciences students: Findings from a public university in Malaysia

Fata Nahas ARM, Elkalmi RM, Al-Shami AM, Elsayed TM

J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2019 6 1;11(2):170-175.
PMID: 31148894 DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_263_18

Background: High rates of psychological problems including depression among university students have been reported in various studies around the world. The objectives of this study were to explore the prevalence of depressive disorder, as well as the associated sociodemographic factors (gender, origin, school, and year of study) among health sciences students.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 425 students from 5 different schools of health sciences at International Islamic University Malaysia, using the Patient Health Questionaire-9 (PHQ-9).
Results: With a response rate of 85.9% (n = 365), the results showed a depressive disorder prevalence of 36.4%. The mean PHQ-9 score of the respondents was 8.10 (SD = 4.9), indicating mild depression severity. A statistically significant association was revealed between gender and severity of depression (P = 0.03), as well as between students' origin and severity of depression (P = 0.02).
Conclusion: The findings indicated high prevalence of depression among undergraduate health sciences students. While providing significant information to students' affairs department, the study findings suggest the necessity to address depressive disorder in health sciences university students in Malaysia. Future research is needed to confirm these results in larger samples.
Study site: International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuantan health campus, Pahang, Malaysia
Fulltext Incorporating an immunization course in the pharmacy curriculum: Malaysian experience

Al-lela OQ, Bahari MB, Elkalmi RM, Jawad Awadh AI

Am J Pharm Educ, 2012 Dec 12;76(10):206.
PMID: 23275671 DOI: 10.5688/ajpe7610206
Fulltext Knowledge, awareness, and perception of contraception among senior pharmacy students in Malaysia: A pilot study

Elkalmi RM, Khan MU, Ahmad A, Srikanth AB, Abdurhaman NS, Jamshed SQ, et al.

J Res Pharm Pract, 2015 Apr-Jun;4(2):94-8.
PMID: 25984548 DOI: 10.4103/2279-042X.155760

OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to assess the knowledge, awareness, and perception of contraception among senior pharmacy students of a public sector university in Malaysia.
METHODS: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among senior pharmacy students. The pretested questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants over the period of 1-month. The questionnaire was divided into four sections, for gathering the information about students' demographic data, and their knowledge, attitudes, and perception toward contraception. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 20.
FINDINGS: The response rate was 68.6%. The results showed that the contraceptive knowledge was comparatively higher in year four students (P < 0.001), married respondents (P < 0.001) and those taking elective courses (P = 0.022) as compared to their respective counterparts. Majority of the students were well aware and had a positive perception about contraception.
CONCLUSION: Overall findings reflect that the majority of the students had good knowledge, perception, and awareness about contraception. The study recommends future studies to be conducted covering different pharmacy schools across the country to further establish the results.
KEYWORDS: Awareness; contraceptive; knowledge; perception; students
Biological control of Phlebotomus papatasi larvae by using entomopathogenic nematodes and its symbiotic bacterial toxins

El-Sadawy HA, Ramadan MY, Abdel Megeed KN, Ali HH, El Sattar SA, Elakabawy LM

Trop Biomed, 2020 Jun 01;37(2):288-302.
PMID: 33612799

The sand fly Phlebotomus papatasi is an important disease-bearing vector. Five entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) - Steinernema carpocapsae DD136, Steinernema sp. (SII), S. carpocapsae all, S. abbasi, and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora HP88 - were applied as biocontrol agents against the late third instar larvae of P. papatasi. In addition, the effect of toxin complexes (TCs) of Xenorhabdus nematophila and Photorhabdus luminescens laumondii bacteria was evaluated. Results revealed that S. carpocapsae DD136 was the most virulent species followed by Steinernema sp. (SII) and S. carpocapsae all where LC50 were 472, 565, 962 IJs/ml, respectively. Also, the crude TCs were slightly more active and toxic than their fractionated protein. Histopathological examination of infected larvae with H. bacteriophora HP88 showed negative effect on their midgut cells. In conclusion, EPNs with their symbiotic bacteria are more effective as biocontrol agents than the crude or fractionated TCs against sand fly larvae.
Fulltext Mobile technology features and technostress in mandatory online teaching during the COVID-19 crisis

Khlaif ZN, Sanmugam M, Hattab MK, Bensalem E, Ayyoub A, Sharma RC, et al.

Heliyon, 2023 Aug;9(8):e19069.
PMID: 37636397 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19069

Technostress is defined as any unhealthy condition caused by dealing with modern technology in various harmful ways; examples of technostress include addiction and stress. Even though technostress has been extensively studied in the literature, little attention has been paid to investigating technostress among academics who work in exceptional circumstances, such as crises, and who might be experiencing different psychological states due to those circumstances. To fill the gap, this study aims to explore the factors influencing technostress among school teachers. The study examined technostress's level and factor graphics structure among 692 academics from different Arab countries during COVID-19. The technostress factors and their stories were explored and measured using sequential mixed methods and confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis. The study discusses various factors' direct and indirect effects on mobile technology integration in education and the theoretical and practical implications of managing technostress in online classes. A model of techno-stressors among Arab academics was found to include: schedule overload, complexity, uncertainty, uselessness, invasion, and compulsion. The direct effect of various factors on mobile technology integration in education is mainly positive, while indirect effects are more varied. The theoretical and practical implications of managing technostress in online classes include: considering the psychological and physiological impact of technostress on students' learning performance, decreasing overall satisfaction with the learning experience, and improving the overall quality of online courses. As a result of this study's findings, a new perspective is provided on how academics in particular circumstances (in this study, the occupation of Palestine) may behave and feel toward technology in teaching.