Background

A visually impaired person typically faces countless challenges throughout their daily activities. These challenges can include medication safety and efficacy. Few studies have addressed the issues of safety and pattern of medication usage in visually impaired patients, or the need to apply Braille labeling to medications dispensed to these patients.

Objective

To explore the medication use pattern in severely visually impaired and blind patients living in Saudi Arabia, and to evaluate the need for Braille labeling on medication dispensed to these patients.

Method

The merits of the proposal and its alignment with national regulations were evaluated and the study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). This cross-sectional study was conducted through open- and closed-ended questionnaires that were distributed to 215 visually impaired people, aged 18 years and above, dispersed throughout different cities within the kingdom.

Result

The sample population was equally distributed in terms of sex. The majority of the participants were young with a college degree. More than half of the participants were unable to identify the name, dose, expiry date, instructions and interactions of their medication, and the respondents usually relied on their caregivers. 91% of the respondents agreed that application of Braille labeling on their medications would improve the quality of their therapy and help them overcome some of their difficulties.

Conclusion

This study investigated medication usage patterns in the visually impaired in Saudi Arabia. These patients face considerable challenges to any efforts to self-administer their own medication and are heavily reliant on caregivers. The current methods for dispensing medications to this population, (and current regulations) do not sufficiently meet their health information needs. The study highlighted the necessity of applying Braille labeling to medicines prescribed to the visually impaired. A reconsideration of the current regulations regarding the application of Braille labeling to medications is warranted. The use of Braille labeling on medications may improve drug treatment regimes, minimize medications errors, and promote independence in these individuals (through self-administration of medications). The addition of technology to the printed Braille labeling can advance the pharmaceutical care services provided and improve the life quality of patients.

中文翻译：

---

沙特阿拉伯视障者的药物使用模式以及应用盲文标签的重要性

背景

视障人士通常在日常活动中面临无数挑战。这些挑战可能包括药物安全性和有效性。很少有研究涉及视障患者用药的安全性和模式问题，或者需要将盲文标签应用于分配给这些患者的药物。

客观的

探索生活在沙特阿拉伯的严重视力障碍和盲人患者的药物使用模式，并评估在分配给这些患者的药物上是否需要盲文标签。

方法

对该提案的优点及其与国家法规的一致性进行了评估，该研究得到了机构审查委员会 (IRB) 的批准。这项横断面研究是通过开放式和封闭式问卷调查进行的，问卷分发给 215 名年龄在 18 岁及以上的视障人士，他们分散在王国的不同城市。

结果

样本人口在性别方面分布均匀。大多数参与者都是拥有大学学历的年轻人。超过一半的参与者无法识别药物的名称、剂量、有效期、说明和相互作用，而且受访者通常依赖他们的护理人员。91% 的受访者同意在他们的药物上应用盲文标签将提高他们的治疗质量并帮助他们克服一些困难。

结论

本研究调查了沙特阿拉伯视障者的药物使用模式。这些患者在自我管理自己的药物方面面临着相当大的挑战，并且严重依赖护理人员。目前向该人群分发药物的方法（和现行法规）不足以满足他们的健康信息需求。该研究强调了将盲文标签应用于为视力障碍者开出的药物的必要性。有必要重新考虑有关将盲文标签应用于药物的现行法规。在药物上使用盲文标签可以改善药物治疗方案，最大限度地减少药物错误，并促进这些人的独立性（通过药物的自我管理）。