Study shows many Omanis ill informed about adverse effects of medicines

5/4/2016 4:49:20 PM

(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat-

A study conducted to assess the knowledge beliefs and behaviours of Omani population with regards to the adverse effects of medicines has shown alarming results.

Approximately 46 per cent of the participants wrongly believed that only taking medicines in high doses caused adverse effects.

The majority approximately 60 per cent believed that medicines prescribed by doctors were completely safe. As many as 34.3 per cent of the respondents believed that traditional medicines had no side effects while 37.3 per cent thought over-the-counter drugs were totally safe. It also showed that over a quarter of the respondents reported having previously experienced adverse effects from medications.

The study was conducted by Jimmy Jose from the School of Pharmacy College of Pharmacy & Nursing University of Nizwa and published in Sultan Qaboos Medical Journal. 'Necessary caution needs to be exercised while using traditional medicines with due consideration of potential interactions with other medications (e g interactions between traditional medicines and diseases and between traditional medicines and other drugs)' Jose said.

'In another study such a view was also endorsed by medical students in Oman. This means that suboptimal knowledge not only exists among the general public but also among those who are going to be the vanguard of health in the country - medical students' stated Muna al Saadoon from the Department of Child Health College of Medicine and Health Sciences Sultan Qaboos University in response to the study. A major source of confusion is that traditional medicines are often parcelled as food supplements added Muna.

'Although there are studies that have reported the therapeutic effects of some herbal medications other studies have revealed that traditional medicinal products contain banned pesticides microbial contaminants heavy metals chemical toxins or orthodox drugs' she said.

'It has been found that a tendency to use both treatment modalities simultaneously has the potential to compromise the efficiency of medical treatment' Muna said adding 'Traditional medicines are reportedly often consumed concurrently with prescription medication. Such cocktails have the potential to do more harm than good.' Jose said there is need for interventions to improve public knowledge and address misconceptions regarding medication safety.

'Such interventions could be on both on individual and public levels through interactions with patients and community awareness drives' he said.

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