Backround. Based of my personal observations when employed as a pharmacist in a Saudi
hospital it was clear that there were problems with medicine supply to outpatients. This thesis
was designed to scientifically investigate the types of shortages, the reason(s) for such
problems and potential solutions to the problem.
Methods . This study was undertaken using a variety of experimental techniques to
determine the views and perceptions of patients, pharmacists, physicians and administrative
staff of the hospital under examination. To establish the scale of the problem: focus groups
(n=25), structured questionnaires, structured interviews/meetings for health care professionals
and a national survey (n=650) were the research tools used to objectively determine the
relevant data. The data were analyzed by appropriate statistical methods.
Results and Discussion
That there was a real problem was quickly established in the data obtained from patients. A
similar finding was made for each of the ¿professional groups¿. The central problem was one
of shortages of medicines for prescriptions presented by outpatients. It was not a case the
medicines were simply not available because they were never stocked but rather a simple
shortage in the dispensary stock. It was established the lack of medicines was not due to
central budget arrangements but involved prescribing quantities outside of the hospital
guidelines which no degree of planning could accommodate. There was also the very
unexpected finding that a prescription could be filled in a variety of hospital dispensaries as
individuals could access more than one hospital or they could consult more than one
physician for the same condition and obtain effectively double the supplies. Communications
between the hospital and patients and the health care professionals could all be improved by
perhaps increasing the knowledge of the patient about the correct use of medicines. Recommendations. A series of recommendations for future work is provided / Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/5696 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Alyousif, Abdulmohsen A. |
| Contributors | Naylor, Ian |
| Publisher | University of Bradford, School of Pharmacy |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, doctoral, PhD |
| Rights | <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. |
Page generated in 0.0027 seconds