The College of Pharmacy discussed the High Diploma thesis entitled “Pharmacists’ perception about efficacy, safety, and quality of fertility dietary supplements available in Baghdad/Iraq” by the student Hafsa Hameed Majeed and the supervisor, Assistant Professor Dr. Ehab Mudher Mikhael at the Clinical Pharmacy Department. The study aimed to get an in-depth understanding of the perceptions of community pharmacists about the efficacy, safety, and quality of the fertility dietary supplement (FDS) in the Iraqi pharmaceutical market and the experience of community pharmacists in recommending, dispensing, and educating infertility patients about FDS. A qualitative study was performed through face-to-face, individual-based interviews with 25 pharmacists. Most participating pharmacists (40%) considered FDS to be effective and safe. Nearly one-third of participants had doubts about the quality of most FDS products. The majority of participants (82%) reported that FDS are prescribed deals with pharmaceutical companies are the main reason for prescribing FDS, and they dispense FDS only to customers if they have a prescription for the requested product. Nearly all participants did not receive any education or training about DS. The pharmacist’s role in educating customers using FDS is poor and mainly limited to the method of administration and the duration of treatment. The study recommended encouraging the pharmacists to fulfill their obligation by providing patient education on the dispensed FDS to improve pharmaceutical care for customers using FDS.
