In an effort to promote the importance of pharmacists in the administration of drugs via feeding tubes, final year pharmacy students from Gulf Medical University organized an online webinar titled “The Role of Pharmacists in Drug Administration via Feeding Tubes” on April 10, 2023. The webinar, which was conducted via Zoom, was led by the APPE students as part of their Academic Pharmacy Rotation, under the supervision of GMU faculty.
The event was attended by a diverse group of pharmacists and pharmacy students worldwide. Dr. Ahmad Al-Za’abi, the speaker of this webinar, is a senior specialized pharmacist who covers Adult-ICU and Pediatric-ICU and works as a coordinator of Antibiotic stewardship program in the Sohar Hospital Team in Oman. The speaker highlighted the importance of pharmacists in ensuring the safe and effective use of medications in patients who require tube feeding. He discussed the challenges associated with administering drugs via feeding tubes, such as clogging of the tube and improper dosing, and provided strategies to overcome these challenges.
The webinar also covered the results and applications of a research paper, published 2 years ago by the speaker, titled: “Evaluation of Nurses’ Knowledge and Current Practice of Drug Administration in Admitted Patients with Swallowing Difficulties and Those with Feeding Tube.” The speaker emphasized the need for pharmacists to have a thorough understanding of the patient’s medical history and to work closely with other members of the healthcare team to ensure that the patient receives the appropriate medications.
The organizers of the webinar expressed their satisfaction with the outcome of the event, stating that they were able to achieve their goal of promoting the vital role of pharmacists in the administration of drugs via feeding tubes. They also expressed their gratitude to the GMU faculty for their guidance and support throughout the planning and execution of the event.