Off-Label Pediatric Medication Prescribing and Dispensing: Awareness and Attitudes among Community Pharmacists: A...

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Pediatrics
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Off-label drug use in pediatrics necessitates vigilance from all healthcare professionals.
• Community pharmacists play a critical role in verifying pediatric treatment accuracy.
• Understanding pharmacists' perspectives on off-label prescribing is essential for patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the awareness and views of Romanian community pharmacists regarding off-label drug use in pediatric patients.
• To identify common off-label drug categories and associated challenges faced by pharmacists.
• To evaluate pharmacist practices when encountering off-label prescriptions.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study was conducted among 236 community pharmacists in Romania.
• Data were collected using a 28-item questionnaire covering general knowledge, frequency, views, and attitudes towards off-label prescribing.
• Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism v.9.

Main Results:

• 55.1% of pharmacists demonstrated good general knowledge of off-label practices, despite legal ambiguity.
• High frequencies of off-label requests were noted for respiratory conditions (45.3%) and antibiotics (23.5%).
• A significant gap (56.7%) was identified concerning awareness of adverse events from off-label treatments, with only 7.1% consulting other professionals.

Conclusions:

• Romanian community pharmacists possess adequate awareness of off-label pediatric drug use but require enhanced education on adverse event recognition.
• There is a critical need to strengthen collaboration between doctors and pharmacists to ensure the safe and effective use of off-label medications in children.
• Improving communication channels can mitigate risks associated with off-label prescribing and enhance patient outcomes.