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A Cross-Sectional Observational Questionnaire-Based Survey on the Preference of Herbal Medication use among the general population of UAE

Riham Mohamed Elshafie1,2, Mariya Ahmed3, Anzal Siddiqui3, Ahmed Shabeeb3, Syed Wasif Gillani4★★ Corresponding author

  1. 1Pharmacy Practice Department, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Al Madinah Al Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.
  2. 2Clinical Pharmacy Department, ASUSH, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
  3. 3College of Pharmacy, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, UAE.
  4. 4Chair, Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, UAE.

CORRESPONDENCE

Syed Wasif Gillani

Chair, Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, UAE.

dr.syedwasif@gmu.ac.ae

Received: 01-12-2023; Accepted: 23-02-2024.

Volume 23, Issue 1 · pp. 3020 · PUBLISHED 20 February 2025 · DOI: 10.18549/PharmPract.2025.1.3020

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ABSTRACT

Background: The objective of this study is to evaluate the trends of herbal medication use among the general population and preferences toward herbal medicine over allopathic medication. Methods: a community-based cross-sectional study was used to conduct this study. A self-developed and pre-validated questionnaire was distributed online through social media channels such as Facebook and WhatsApp to the public from different emirates in the UAE. The males and females above 18 years old were invited to participate in our study. Results: A total of 206 participants completed the survey with the response rate of 77.7%. The majority of participants were females 135 (65.5%) rest males 71 (34.5%). The study found no significant difference between gender and medication preference (p=0.594). The use pattern of herbal medication among the respondents, was categorized by gender. The results indicate that 63 (79.7%) of the respondents had taken herbal medication in the past 10 years, with a slightly higher proportion of females (61.9%) compared to males (38.1%). When asked if they had made their primary care providers aware of their herbal medication usage, a total of 45 (56.9%) of the respondents reported informing healthcare providers, with a higher proportion of females (57.8%) compared to males (42.2%) (p=0.013). Conclusion: The study concluded no gender-based differences in preferring herbal compared to allopathic medications. The study identified no significant disparities based on location or length of stay in the UAE among those using herbal medications. The study found that significantly higher number of participants (43.1%) were not informing their healthcare providers regarding the use of herbal medications.

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    Elshafie, R. M., Ahmed, M., Siddiqui, A., Shabeeb, A., & Gillani, S. W. (2025). A Cross-Sectional Observational Questionnaire-Based Survey on the Preference of Herbal Medication use among the general population of UAE. Pharmacy Practice, 23(1), 3020. https://doi.org/10.18549/PharmPract.2025.1.3020