Healthcare Professionals’ Compliance with the Standard Management Guidelines towards the Use of Biological Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Sadia Shakeel, Wajiha Iffat, Ambreen Qamar, Hina Rehman, Faiza Ghuman, Fareeha Butt, Anees ur Rehman, Melinda Madléna, Edit Paulik, Márió Gajdács and Shazia Jamshed
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Sadia Shakeel: Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dow College of Pharmacy, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi 74200, Pakistan
Wajiha Iffat: Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dow College of Pharmacy, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi 74200, Pakistan
Ambreen Qamar: Department of Physiology, Dr. Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan Institute of Oral Health Sciences (DIKIOHS), Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi 74200, Pakistan
Hina Rehman: Department of Pharmacy Practice, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jinnah Sind Medical University, Karachi 75510, Pakistan
Faiza Ghuman: Department of Medicine, Dow University Hospital, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi 74200, Pakistan
Fareeha Butt: Department of Physiology, Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi 74200, Pakistan
Anees ur Rehman: Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan
Melinda Madléna: Department of Oral Biology and Experimental Dental Research, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
Edit Paulik: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
Márió Gajdács: Department of Oral Biology and Experimental Dental Research, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
Shazia Jamshed: Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, UniSZA, Kuala Terengganu 21300, Malaysia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-12

Abstract: Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is complicated, with numerous aspects influencing decision-making, including disease severity, comorbidities, and patient preferences. The present study aimed to evaluate healthcare professionals’ (HCPs) knowledge of biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) and their compliance with the standard management guidelines for assuring optimal RA therapy. The cross-sectional, survey-based study was performed in various healthcare and academic settings in Karachi, Pakistan to probe HCPs’ knowledge of bDMARDs and their compliance with the European League against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the management of RA patients. Overall, n = 413 questionnaires were included in our study (response rate: 82.6%). The physicians were further well-informed about the indications ( n = 276, 91.3%, p = 0.001) and monitoring requirements ( n = 258, 85.4%, p = 0.004). The pharmacists were more knowledgeable about the drug targets ( n = 96, 86.4%, p = 0.029) and their mechanisms of action ( n = 80, 72.0%, p = 0.013). Male respondents as compared with females (41.3% vs. 35.6%, p = 0.04), and physicians as compared with pharmacists (40.7% vs. 37.8%, p = 0.012), were more confident in using bDMARDs than conventional treatment in RA patients. Our findings show that the respondents were familiar with the attributes of bDMARDs and the standard management guidelines for RA care. Our results may be relevant in creating new methods, guidelines, and treatments to enhance RA treatment adherence, satisfaction, and health outcomes.

Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis; disease-modifying anti-rheumatic medications; healthcare professionals; EULAR guidelines; Pakistan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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