Background and aims. Healthcare quality is greatly influenced by infection prevention practices and control. Since there are few previous studies from Libya evaluated the infection control practices in the blood banks of Libya. This study was aimed to assess the practice of standard precautions among health care workers (HCWs) in the blood bank at Maitiga hospital, Tripoli, Libya. Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2022 at the blood bank of Maitiga hospital. A self-administered questionnaire assessing the practice of standard precautions was used to collect the data and analysis was done by using SPSS version 20. Results. A total of 61 respondents out of 110 HCWs at Maitiga blood bank were enrolled in this study. The respondents were doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians of which 15(24.6%) were males and 46(75.4 %) were females. The main age group of the participants was 25 - 29 years. All medical staff who participated in current study were applied hand hygiene after finishing and were used safety box to dispose the sharp objects. Only 11(18%) of them applied hand hygiene before start working, 45(73.8 %) of them cleaned surfaces before and after work, 53 (86.9%) wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), and 36(59 %) know how to separate the medical wastes. On the other hand, 18(29.5 %) of medical staff eat or drink at work area. Conclusion. In general, practice of standard precautions was good among HCWs at Maitiga blood bank. Most of the HCWs prefer to use hand hygiene after work, use of personal protective equipment, safe use and disposal of sharps, and routine environmental cleaning. However, practice of waste management was not satisfied.
Jerbi, Saleh, Mousa(11-2022)

Objective: it is well known that smoking increases the risk of developing diabetes and induces increases on blood glucose level, so when people stop smoking we would expect better state. The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of smoking on the human blood glucose level of smokers and ex-smokers diabetic patients. Research design: This experiment was conducted on diabetic center on Libya included 80 healthy chronic smokers and 80 healthy ex-smokers people. Fasting blood sugar test performed on each subject. Results: Smoking acutely induces Fasting blood glucose level: the fasting glucose level of smokers was 127±3.36 mg/dl (mean±STD) during the smoking and 109±6.4 mg/dl in the ex-smokers (P< 0.05).. Conclusion: Smoking acutely increases blood glucose level These findings support the pathogenetic role of cigarette smoking on cardiovascular risk factors of diabetic patient.
amjed taher mohamed shaktour(12-2019)

Background: The concept of pharmacovigilance is not well known in Libya and its practice is still in the early stages. Aims: This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices of pharmacists in Tripoli, Libya about pharmacovigilance and the reporting of adverse drug reactions. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2019 to February 2020 of working pharmacists randomly selected from pharmacies in Tripoli. Participants were eligible for inclusion if they had a degree or diploma in pharmacy from a recognized university or institute. Data were collected using a validated self-administered questionnaire. Results: Of 500 pharmacists selected, 408 completed the questionnaire. The pharmacists' knowledge of pharmacovigilance and reporting of adverse drug reactions was poor overall: only 28.9% correctly defined pharmacovigilance and 14.7% knew about the existence of a centre for pharmacovigilance in Libya. The attitudes of the pharmacists to pharmacovigilance was positive: 77.2% believed that pharmacovigilance needed to be included in the pharmacy curriculum and 73.0% said that they would practice pharmacovigilance if trained. Pharmacists depended mostly on drug information leaflets to update their knowledge on adverse drug reactions. Conclusion: Given the pharmacists' low level of knowledge about pharmacovigilance but their readiness to become involved if trained, training programmes should be introduced for practising pharmacists to improve their knowledge and encourage their active participation in pharmacovigilance. Regulators need to reinforce the importance of reporting adverse drug reactions and implement pharmacovigilance policies in the Libyan health care system.
Ahmed Elbadri M Atia(7-2021)