title: Perspective of pharmacists in Qatar regarding doping and anti-doping in sports.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the current knowledge and perceptions of pharmacists in Qatar with regard to the use of drugs in sport and to explore their views on the introduction of education and training in the area of sports pharmacy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey was conducted targeting both hospital and community pharmacists in Qatar. A questionnaire consisting of three domains pertaining to participants' knowledge, perceived role of healthcare professionals, and attitudes towards educational needs on the use of drugs in sports was developed and validated. The online survey link and paper-based questionnaires were distributed to the target population. Data analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized for the analyses, where P<0.05 indicates statistical significance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 300 pharmacists responded to the survey. Respondents had a limited awareness of doping and anti-doping and achieved an average knowledge score of 53.2% regarding the prohibited status of drugs that may be used by athletes, particularly with respect to over-the-counter medicines and supplements. The majority (81.7%) of the pharmacists expressed an interest in receiving education and training on sports pharmacy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Specialized training programs are warranted to ensure that pharmacists have the knowledge and skills required to provide athletes with accurate information about anti-doping issues and the safe and effective use of medicines in sport. The development of these programs should be supported by national pharmacy policy makers and designed in collaboration with anti-doping agencies and sports pharmacy experts and educators.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK - d.r.mottram@ljmu.ac.uk.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mottram
authors.forename: Sherief
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khalifa
authors.forename: Bayan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Alemrayat
authors.forename: Alaa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rahhal
authors.forename: Afif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stuart
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Awaisu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004300:Doping in Sports; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000523:psychology*; D011780:Qatar; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires