Background and Objective: The Asian continent appears to be a growing destination for conducting cost-effective clinical trials, utilizing the available pool of treatment naïve subjects. This study aims to determine the growth rate of clinical trials in Asia. Methods: A database review was conducted. Registered clinical trials conducted in selected countries in Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America between 2008 and 2017 were searched from the International Clinical Trial Registry Platform. Compound Annual Growth Rate was determined for registered clinical trials. Results: During the 10-year period, a total of 125,918 registered clinical trials were conducted in Asia. There was a 7-fold increase in the number of registered clinical trials in Asia. More trials were registered in Japan than any other Asian country (30.8%). The average annual increase in the number of registered trials was generally higher in Asia than the United States of America, Canada, EU countries, or Australia. Iran recorded the highest average annual increase in the number of all clinical trials in Asia (41.9%). The number of pediatric clinical trials in Iran also increased annually by an average of 30.4%, more than any other country included in this study. Conclusions: Clinical trials recruitment in Asia is increasing faster than Europe, North America, and Australia. Lower trial cost and large patient pool may be contributory to this increase.

Hypertension possesses significant public health challenges for both developing and developed economies. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the awareness of hypertension and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among patients with hypertension. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge of hypertension and HRQoL among hypertensive patients. A cross-sectional study using an anonymous questionnaire was conducted over a period of 4 months (November 2020 to February 2021) in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This study included 437 questionnaires submitted by the hypertensive population. A total of 437 participants were included in this study, with 55.4% being males (n=242). The majority (85.1%) were aware of the normal values of blood pressure. Many participants had no problems with mobility, personal care, usual activities, pain or discomfort, and anxiety or depression. Age groups showed a significant association with mobility and usual activities. The knowledge of hypertension was significantly associated with HRQoL. This study found that majority of the hypertensive patients were aware of the standard values of blood pressure. HRQoL concerning physical functioning and general health is found to be good based on the EuroQol visual analogue scale (EQ VAS) in the hypertensive population who are aware of their condition. This study reported a weak yet significant association between hypertension-related knowledge and HRQoL scores. Several factors can affect the HRQoL of the hypertensive population including gender, education, occupation, and income status.

Medication errors (MEs) in hospital settings are attributed to various factors including the human factors. Human factors researches are aiming to implement the knowledge regarding human nature and their interaction with surrounding equipment and environment to design efficient and safe systems. Human Factors Frameworks (HFF) developed awareness regarding main system's components that influence healthcare system and patients' safety. An in-depth evaluation of human factors contributing to medication errors in the hospital pharmacy is crucial to prevent such errors. This study, therefore, aims to identify and categorize the human factors of MEs in hospital pharmacy using the Human Factors Framework (HFF). A qualitative study conducted in King Saud Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Data collection was carried out in two stages; the first stage was the semi-structured interview with the pharmacist or technician involved in the medication error. Then, occupational burnout and personal fatigue scores of participants were assessed. Data analysis was done using thematic analysis. A total of 19 interviews were done with pharmacists and technicians. Themes were categorized using HFF into five categories; individual, organization and management, task, work, and team factors. Examples of these themes are poor staff competency, insufficient staff support, Lack of standardization, workload, and prescriber behaviour respectively. Scores of fatigue, work disengagement, and emotional exhaustion are correlating with medium fatigue, high work disengagement, and high emotional exhaustion, respectively. The study provided a unique insight into the contributing factors to MEs in the hospital pharmacy. Emotional stress, lack of motivation, high workload, poor communication, and missed patient information on the information system, are examples of the human factors contributing to medication errors. Our study found that among those factors, organizational factors had a major contribution to medication safety and staff wellbeing.