IJASR International Journal of Academic Scientific Research

ISSN: 2272-6446 Volume 3, Issue 3 (September - October 2015), PP 32-35

www.ijasrjournal.org

Prescription Patterns for Asthma Patients in Qassim major

Hospitals
Abdulaziz Faraj ALjohani1, Moeen Zafer khan2, Ziyad Muawwadh Aljohani3,
Osama Adel Alahmadi3
1
Department of Emergency Medicine , Ohoud Hospital , Madinah , Saudi Arabia
2
Department of Internal Medicine , Qassim University , Qassim , Saudi Arabia
3
collage of medicine , Taibah University , Madinah , Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Background Bronchial asthma is one of the most common chronic illnesses in Saudi society. It affects around 2
million people in KSA. The prevalence rate is around 13% [1] . There are specified guidelines for the management of
asthma provided by Saudi Thoracic Society (STS) called Saudi Initiative for Asthma (SINA) [2]. Local and
international studies have shown that not all physicians are fully aware of the guidelines and there are frequent
inappropriate prescriptions [3].

Objectives:

1. To find out the common patterns of prescriptions for asthma control therapy in Qassim major
hospitals.
2. To compare these prescription patterns with the guidelines of STS.
3. To educate ourselves in principles of methodical research.

Methodology:
We will visit various outpatient departments of major hospitals in Qassim region i.e. King Fahad Specialist
Hospital (KFSH), Buraidah, Maternity and Children Hospital of Buraidah, King Saud Hospital, Unizah, and Al-Rass
general hospital. We will interview patients who have been diagnosed with bronchial asthma and prescribed asthma
controller therapy at time they visit OPD after their appointments. Patients will ask to agree on informed consent
provided by the participant in this research (medical students), and take them as a random sample. After that we will
collect an additional data from their case records of those patients. The patients in each sub-sample will be 20-30
.All the collected data will remain confidentially.

Possible constraints:
We expect to face some difficulties which may be logistic problems, unavailability of comprehensive data,
attitude and knowledge of physicians, prescribing without proper diagnosis and lack of information regarding the
patient’s compliance to medication.

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IJASR International Journal of Academic Scientific Research
ISSN: 2272-6446 Volume 3, Issue 3 (September - October 2015), PP 32-35
www.ijasrjournal.org

Goals:
In this study, we aim to find out the most common pattern of prescriptions for the asthmatic patients in
Qassim major hospitals.

Problem statement:
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that has no specific cause but there is genetic predisposition as
well as environmental and immunologic factors contribute to its etiology [4]. Its prevalence is increasing all over the
world as well as in KSA[5]. Improperly treated Asthma is an economic burden for the country in the form of loss of
working hours and expensive treatment regimens in the emergency care. Inadequate prescriptions also affect quality
of life of asthma patients[6].

Literature review:
Screening of prescribing patterns for children (< 14 yrs) suffering from asthma indicate that use of inhaled
corticosteroid (ICS) monotherapy for 90.6% children; ICS plus long-acting β2-agonist (LABA) for 7.0%;
leukotriene antagonist monotherapy for 0.9%; ICS plus leukotriene antagonist for 0.5%; and other therapy for 1.0%
(Thomas M. et al )[7].

Review of 206 records of asthma patients in Jeddah region. Salbutamol inhaler was prescribed to 56% of
patients, whereas its oral form was the most commonly prescribed asthma medication as 89% of patients received it.
Theophylline was prescribed to 39% of the patients. Inhaled steroids and cromoglycate were prescribed to 33% of
the patients. Inhaled cromoglycate was prescribed to 5% of asthmatic children only. Emergency steroids (oral and
injectable) were prescribed to 39% of the patients (Dashash NA.)[8].
The reasons for improper asthma control therapy in KSA could be lack of awareness about the importance
of proper asthma control and STS guidelines among the primary care physicians (Abudahish A.)[3]. Many asthma
patients continue to be undertreated and are at risk of developing acute attacks resulting in loss of school and
working hours and burden on emergency health care services ( Spreight A. 1983 )[6]. Only 39% of primary care
physicians follow the national guidelines in the management of asthma (Al-Kabbaa et al ) [9].

Methodology:
Sampling: Random. We will interview patients who have been diagnosed with bronchial asthma and
prescribed asthma controller therapy at time they visit OPD after their appointments . Patients will ask to agree on
informed consent provided by the participant in this research (medical students), and take them as a random sample.
After that we will collect an additional data from their case records of those patients. All the collected data will
remain confidentially.
Sample size: 120 patients with their case records using the formula

n= Z2 . P (1-P)

d2

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IJASR International Journal of Academic Scientific Research
ISSN: 2272-6446 Volume 3, Issue 3 (September - October 2015), PP 32-35
www.ijasrjournal.org

The patients in each sub-sample will be 20-30. This sample size depends on proportion of the absolute precision of
perceptions to be 0.50% according to Al-Kabbaa et al.

Study design: Cross sectional survey.

Inclusion criteria: Patients who have been diagnosed with Bronchial asthma randomly of Qassim major hospitals.

Exclusion criteria: Cigarette smoker; Above 50 year of age; diagnosed with COPD; Use of beta-blockers, Aspirin
for any reason.

Research question : What are the most common patterns of prescriptions for treatment of asthma in Qassim
major hospitals?

Research duration (5 months)

Setting : Different Qassim major hospitals.

Procedure:
This study will be conducted at various Qassim major hospitals .We will collect the data from patient’s
interview by distribution a questionnaire ,that is prepared as regards the demographical features and severity of the
cases, to the patients .we will also distribute a questionnaire to physician about their knowledge regard SINA
guidelines.

Statistical Analysis: SPSS 15 will be used to enter and analyze the data.

References:
1. Al-Ghamdi BR, Mahfouz AA, Abdelmoneim I, Khan MY, Dafallah AA. Altitude and bronchial; asthma in south western Saudi
Arabia. East Mediterr Health J 2008; 14: 17-23.
2. Mohamed S, Al-Moamary, Mohamed S. Al-Hajjaj, Majdy M. Idress, Mohamed O. Zeitouni, Mohamed O. Alanezi, Hamdan H. Al-
Jahdali, Maha Al Dabbagh. The Saudi initiative for asthma. Annals of Thoracic Medicine 2009; 4; 216-224.
3. Abudahish A, Bella H. Primary care physician’s perceptions and practices on asthma care in Aseer region, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Med J
2006; 27:333-7.
4. Hamid Q, Tulis M. New insights into the pathophysiology of small airways in asthma. Ann Thorac Med 2007; 2:28-33.
5. Al-Hajjaj M. Bronchial in developing countries: A major social and economic burden. Ann Torac Med 2008; 3:30-40.
6. Spreight A, Lee D, Hey E. Underdiagnosis and under treatment of asthma in childhood. Br Med J 1983; 286:1253-6.
7. Thomas M, Thomas TM, Fan T, Williams T, Taylor S. BMC pulmonary medicine 2010;10:29.
8. Dashash NA, Mukhtar SH. Prescribing for asthmatic children in primary care. Saudi Med J 2003; 24:507-11.
9. Al-Kabbaa A, Al Shamrani K, Salih MA. Does the management of bronchial asthma by family physicians meets standards of the
national protocol. J Fam Comm Med 2002;9:21-5.

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ISSN: 2272-6446 Volume 3, Issue 3 (September - October 2015), PP 32-35
www.ijasrjournal.org

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