Alaa Alghananim, Roua Aldala'een, Abdallah Y Naser, Alaa Ahmed Alsharif, Sarah Khamis
Jordanian pharmacists' knowledge and practice of sunscreen use were generally adequate; however, specific gaps were identified in certain areas. This demonstrated that pharmacists need more specialized courses during their continuing professional development to address these gaps and improve their knowledge and abilities.
BACKGROUND: Sunscreens are agents to protect the skin from the destructive effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Pharmacists are expert healthcare providers who guide consumers regarding the usage of sunscreen. This study aims to evaluate pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, practices and perceptions regarding sunscreen use in Jordan.
METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacists in Jordan using a self-administered questionnaire created using Google Forms and distributed online social media platforms. The questionnaire contained five sections to assess demographics (9 items), knowledge (11 items), attitudes (8 items), practices (12 items) and perceptions (2 items). The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
RESULTS: A total of 407 pharmacists working in different fields completed the survey, 79.6% were female and 20.4% male. 56.5% of participants were under 30 years old, while 56% of participants had less than 5 years' experience. The results showed that knowledge, attitude and practice scores were significantly associated with age (p = 0.011 and p < 0.001, respectively). In addition, 53.8% of participants were familiar with the Fitzpatrick scale of skin type that categorizes the skin into six types, and 232 participants (57.0%) responded correctly regarding the classification of active ingredients in sunscreen agents. Participants with 5-10 years of experience were less likely (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.59 (95%CI: 0.37-0.94); p-value < 0.05) to have better knowledge of sunscreen compared to others (p < 0.05). Participants aged 30-39 years (aOR: 2.13 (95%CI: 1.34-3.38), p-value < 0.01), those with postgraduate studies (aOR: 2.85 (95%CI: 1.41-5.77), p-value < 0.01), those with 11-15 years of experience (aOR: 2.37 (95%CI: 1.11-5.05), p-value < 0.05), those who work in academia (aOR: 2.65 (95%CI: 1.15-6.10), p-value < 0.05), those who were married (aOR: 1.83 (95%CI: 1.22-2.75), p-value < 0.01), and those who graduated from a public university (aOR: 2.33 (95%CI: 1.55-3.51), p-value < 0.001) were more likely to show positive attitude towards the use of sunscreen.
CONCLUSION: Jordanian pharmacists' knowledge and practice of sunscreen use were generally adequate; however, specific gaps were identified in certain areas. This demonstrated that pharmacists need more specialized courses during their continuing professional development to address these gaps and improve their knowledge and abilities.