Investigating the Levels of Knowledge and Educational Status of Apothecaries about theSupply and Use of Medicinal Plants in Mashhad, Iran

Introduction: apothecaries' awareness of how to store, use and side effects of medicinal plants affects thehealth of society. this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the levels of knowledge and educationalstatus of apothecaries about the supply and use of medicinal plants.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in apothecary shops based in the city of Mashhad, in ۲۰۱۹-۲۰۲۰. The required data were thus obtained by browsing the job lists in the database affiliated with theapothecary business guild in this region and acquiring the names and contact information of the registeredapothecary shops located in this city based on their municipal districts. Then, ۱۰% of the apothecaries from eachdistrict were included in the study, using the random sampling method. The data were also recorded in thequestionnaires through interviews with the apothecariesResults: A total number of ۱۳۲ apothecaries working in the city of Mashhad, Iran, were studied. The mostcommon complaints cited by the customers referring to the apothecary shops were related to gastrointestinalconditions (۸۵.۶%) and a cold (۸۴%). In total, the mean score of knowledge was reported by ۲۶.۸۴±۴.۹۸ and ata moderate level. ۳۷.۹% of the apothecaries stated that they had acquired their information through the Internetand training courses, while ۶۶.۶% of them had done it via non-scientific sources.Conclusion: recommended to hold training/retraining courses more seriously to boost the levels of knowledgeamong apothecaries, whose activities would be conditional on participating in these courses, obtainingtraining/retraining certificates, as well as closer monitoring of their performance.

کلیدواژه ها:

Apothecary ، Knowledge ، Medicinal Plants ، Herbal Medicines ، Iran.