The Role of the Clinical
Pharmacist in the Identification and Management of
Corticophobia – An Interventional Study
Dana S Ahmad, Mayyada M
Wazaify* and Abla Albsoul-Younes
Department of
Biopharmaceutics and Clinical Pharmacy, The Faculty of
Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman- Queen Rania
Alabdullah St, 11942- Jordan
*For correspondence:
Email:
m.wazaify@ju.edu.jo;
Tel: +9626-5355000 (ext 23354);
Fax: +9626-5300250
Received: 22 July 2013
Revised accepted: 12
January 2014
Tropical Journal of
Pharmaceutical Research, March 2014;
13(3):
445-453
http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v13i3.20
Abstract
Purpose:
To explore patients'
attitudes and knowledge about corticosteroids,
investigate the reasons behind corticophobia (if any),
explore the sources and validity of such beliefs,
as well as investigate the
role of the clinical pharmacist’s intervention in
minimizing corticophobia and improving patient
compliance.
Methods:
The study adopted 2
methodologies: a structured interview technique with
patients selected according to inclusion criteria, and a
pre- and post-intervention to measure the effect this
intervention may have had on patients’ compliance, fear
and general behavior towards corticosteroids.
Results:
A total of 204 patients were
interviewed, most of whom (56.9 %) were female, 41.2 %
had several chronic diseases and 41.7 % used steroids
for the first time. Fourteen percent of respondents did
not know why they had been prescribed corticosteroids.
The main source of information about corticosteroids was
reported to be "friends and family" (37.7 %) while the
main reasons for corticophobia were reported to be
theoretical/potential adverse drug reactions (ADRs, 38.5
%), actually experienced ADRs (24.6 %), or the fact that
they had heard that corticosteroids were harmful (8 %).
The clinical pharmacist's intervention significantly
improved patients' compliance and decreased
corticophobia (p < 0.001), but it did not significantly
affect their general behavior towards corticosteroids (p
= 0.07).
Conclusion:
In general, patients'
sources of information about corticosteroids may be
unreliable or invalid; creating a poor background and
subsequently lead to corticophobia and poor compliance.
Clinical pharmacist
intervention has a significant impact on lowering
patents' fear of corticosteroids, and improving their
compliance with corticosteroids treatment regimens.
Keywords:
Corticosteroids, corticophobia, patient compliance,
structured interview, steroids, adverse drug reaction
