Background: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is one of the useful clinical tools that aim to improve and ensure the best therapeutic effects while avoiding drug-related toxicity. We aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitude toward TDM practices among healthcare practitioners in the Najran region, Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted between May 2021 and October 2021 for assessing the awareness and attitude of licensed doctors and pharmacists working in Saudi Arabia regarding TDM practices. A 31-item questionnaire was distributed to the healthcare professionals via an electronic link. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to report the data.
Results: A total of 392 participants submitted questionnaires. More than half of the professionals (55.9%) had an overall awareness of the TDM, while only 3.1% did not. Only 16% and 23% of those who were surveyed indicated that TDM is used at the beginning of medication administration and when shifting from one drug to another, respectively. The majority of the professionals responded that TDM is revealed with laboratory changes in liver and kidney function (81%), and TDM is specified with suspected therapeutic failure (93%). Only half of the respondents claimed that they had ever requested or suggested a TDM in their practice. More than 90% of the respondents claimed that they were aware of the indications for vancomycin (n = 381), gentamicin (n = 375), lithium (n = 369), digoxin (n = 380), and theophylline (n = 369).
Conclusion: This study found that the majority of the healthcare professionals in Najran were aware of the TDM, particularly those with more than 10 years of professional experience. In addition, TDM service is not widely available in smaller hospitals in Najran. There is a need to conduct customized training programs for junior healthcare professionals, thus increasing the levels of awareness toward TDM. Future studies in Saudi Arabia can explore the role of clinical pharmacists in the provision of TDM services by assessing the clinical and economic outcomes of pharmacist interventions in TDM.
