Josipa Bukic

Due to cannabidiol’s health benefits and absence of serious side effects, its use is constantly growing. This is a survey-based cross-sectional study that was conducted to determine Croatian pharmacists’, physicians’, and students’ knowledge and attitudes about cannabidiol (CBD). Two questionnaires were created, one for students and the other for physicians and pharmacists. Our participants (in total 874: 473 students and 401 physicians and pharmacists) generally had positive attitudes towards CBD therapy as approximately 60% of them believe that CBD treatment is generally efficacious. Participants had positive attitudes toward the therapeutic value of CBD, especially pharmacists and pharmacy students (63.8% and 72.2%, respectively). Pharmacists were significantly more convinced that CBD could reduce the use of opioids prescribed for chronic pain (p < 0.05). Only 17.5% of students had read scientific papers about CBD, compared to a significantly higher percentage of physicians and pharmacists (43.0% and 47.8%, respectively) (p < 0.05). This study revealed a gap in knowledge regarding CBD, since 89.3% of pharmacists and physicians, as well as 84.8% of students, believe they need more education about CBD. We conclude that it is important to improve the educational curricula so that medical professionals can recommend CBD use to their patients when needed.

Epilepsy causes a significant burden to patients as it is linked with various somatic and psychiatric comorbidities, social issues, impaired quality of life, and increased mortality. Improving the population’s knowledge and attitudes about epilepsy patients could be beneficial as it could raise social awareness and lead to more social support for patients. For those reasons, a survey-based cross-sectional study was conducted to determine Croatian students’ knowledge and attitudes toward epilepsy. A previously developed survey questionnaire was adapted for the Croatian setting and distributed online to the students (n = 544). Croatian students generally had positive attitudes towards people with epilepsy (median score 28.0, interquartile range 29.0–26.0, with the minimum possible score being 0.0 and the maximum 30.0), with the female gender (B (male) = 0.664 (95% CI −1.158, −0.170), p = 0.009), biomedical education (B (other) = −0.442, (95% CI −0.823, −0.061), p = 0.023), and personal experience in the form of witnessing the seizure (B = 0.519 (95% CI 0,098, 0.940), p = 0.016) as predictors of more favorable attitudes. Overall knowledge was satisfactory concerning most items, with the exception of first aid measures and risk factors. Educational intervention targeting bio-medical students and other students who might, in their future professional lives, be responsible for people suffering from epilepsy is needed to improve the gaps in their knowledge.

Botulinum toxin use has become the most commonly performed aesthetic procedure among individuals of all age groups, encompassing both women and men. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) provide the highest level of evidence and quality reporting of their abstracts plays a significant role for health professionals, influencing their decision-making in patient management. Therefore, our study aimed to assess the reporting quality of published RCT abstracts for botulinum toxin aesthetic use in the head area. The CONSORT-A checklist with 17 items was used to assess the quality of reporting. All available RCT abstracts (N = 191) found by searching the Medline database that were published up until June 2023 were included in this study. The average reporting rate was 52.9%. General items were inadequately reported (30.9%), with few abstracts describing the trial design. The methods section was better reported (62.0%), with interventions, objectives, and outcomes properly reported in over 97.5% abstracts. The results section (56.9%) demonstrated good reporting of randomized participant numbers but limited reporting of primary outcomes and harms. None of the abstracts reported funding sources or randomization information. To enhance the transparency and reliability of RCT results, abstracts should adhere more rigorously to the CONSORT-A guidelines. Improved reporting in abstracts can facilitate evidence-based decision-making in everyday practice of medical professionals in the field of aesthetic medicine.