HormonesMelatonin

Community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia provide brief consultations and frequently recommend OTC melatonin for insomnia, but often fail to provide safety counseling or non-pharmacological advice.

In a cross-sectional study using simulated patient visits across Saudi Arabia, 251 pharmacy consultations were observed. The median consultation duration was only 1.5 minutes, 64.5% of pharmacists recommended melatonin, but safety information was provided in only 4.9% of visits and non-pharmacological advice in 9.6%.

Last updated: Jul 7, 2026•0 RCTs•📖 Read as article →

Evidence Score

Evidence Score32/100
Human RCT☆☆☆☆☆
Meta-analysis☆☆☆☆☆
Mechanism☆☆☆☆☆
Safety☆☆☆☆☆
Confidencelow

Study Evidence

Study 1. Evaluating community pharmacists' practices in managing insomnia in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study using simulated patient visits.

observational

Algarni M, Alghamdi S, Barakat BM, Alshammari TM, Alzahrani A, Alzahrani A, Sumayli H, Al-Qahtani SA, Mantargi MJS · Frontiers in public health (2026)

Participants: N/A
Duration: cross-sectional (single visit per simulated patient)
Intervention: Simulated patient visits to community pharmacies for insomnia management
Outcome: Pharmacist behavior (history taking, consultation duration, recommendations, safety counseling, non-pharmacological advice)
Effect Size: N/A
Population: Community pharmacists in urban, suburban, and rural areas of Saudi Arabia (251 simulated visits)

Result:

PubMed: 42395279DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1792148

Mechanism Graph

Pharmacist encounters simulated patient with insomnia complaint
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Pharmacist conducts brief consultation (median 1.5 min)
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Pharmacist recommends OTC melatonin (64.5%)
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Pharmacist rarely provides safety information (4.9%) or non-pharmacological advice (9.6%)

Limitations

  • ⚠Cross-sectional design limits causal inference
  • ⚠Simulated patient methodology may not fully capture real-world pharmacist behavior

Products

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References

  1. 1.Algarni M, Alghamdi S, Barakat BM, Alshammari TM, Alzahrani A, Alzahrani A, Sumayli H, Al-Qahtani SA, Mantargi MJS. "Evaluating community pharmacists' practices in managing insomnia in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study using simulated patient visits.." Frontiers in public health, 2026. PMID: 42395279 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1792148
Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Evidence scores reflect the quality and quantity of available research, not clinical recommendations. Always consult a healthcare professional before starting any supplement or intervention.