Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü Dergisi, cilt.11, sa.1, ss.129-140, 2024 (Hakemli Dergi)
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common and devastating disorder that poses a significant burden on families and society.ADHD treatment is multifaceted and requires long-term care and support. As pharmacists are directly involved in the distribution of medication, they are well positioned to collaborate with patients, support their treatment, highlight the importance of adherence to medication, and explain the medicine. This survey study aimed to identify pharmacists' knowledge gaps, attitudes and beliefs about ADHD and its medical treatment, and their experience in ADHD management. In our study, a questionnaire was prepared for pharmacists in Sivas Center, covering descriptive questions such as the pharmacist's age and professional year, what pharmacists do when they encounter children and adolescents with attention problems and/or mobility, and their thoughts on the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, and applied face-to-face. The study involved 113 pharmacists. Respondents were asked to assess their level of knowledge regarding ADHD. It was observed that 29.2% of the participants had limited knowledge about ADHD and 14.2% had good knowledge. Nearly half (48.7%) of the respondents acknowledged their lack of knowledge on psychostimulants. It was revealed that 41.6% of the pharmacists consider ADHD treatment medication to be potentially addictive. When comparing survey responses on ADHD among participants based on their professional experience, it was discovered that there is a statistically significant relationship (p<0.023) between pharmacists with limited professional experience and their beliefs about ADHD as a condition that can lead to lifelong issues. Our study is the first to measure the awareness of pharmacists about ADHD in our country.Pharmacists have sufficient knowledge to counsel patients and to answer the most frequently asked questions about the drug's safety profile and onset of action is of great importance in the management of ADHD. So it would be useful to organize trainings on ADHD for pharmacists.