Abstract: Objectives: To assess the current use of herbal products among chronically ill patients in Jordan and to review the impact of the used herbal products on their treatments safety and efficiency. Materials and Methods: This study was a questionnaire based cross-sectional study conducted between March and June, 2016. The developed and validated questionnaire consisted of 2 different forms, one for patients with chronic diseases and one for the community pharmacists. Patients and pharmacists were randomly recruited into this study by pharmacy students skilled to perform the data collection. Results: About 376 patients were recruited into this study (mean age 43 years, 54% female). About 216 (57.4%) were using 43 different herbal products. The most common chronic diseases suffered by the patients were hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Males and older patients were more likely to experience unsafe or inefficient use of herbal products. Only 54.2% of the patients informed their pharmacists of their use of herbal products. A minority of the pharmacists (8.2%) reported very good knowledge of herbal products use and herbs-drugs interactions and only (11.3%) always ask their patients about their use of any herbal products. Conclusion: Many chronically ill patients in Jordan use herbal products for the management of their chronic conditions. Inefficient use is common mainly amongst males. Patients and pharmacists are not communicating as needed regarding patients use of herbal products. New strategies need to be implemented in the country to resolve these vital issues.
Reem A. Issa and Iman A. Basheti, 2017. Herbal Products Use Among Chronic Patients and its Impact on Treatments Safety and Efficacy: A Clinical Survey in the Jordanian Field. Trends in Medical Research, 12: 32-44.
Subscribe Today 
