Background: Pharmacists in community settings are recognized as highly accessible healthcare practitioners and demonstrate a crucial role in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Evidence indicates that community pharmacists can make a significant impact on controlling cardiovascular disease risk factors, particularly on hypertension.
Objectives: We aimed to assess the knowledge of community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia regarding cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Methods: A cross-sectional study involving community pharmacists was conducted. The knowledge of cardiovascular disease risk factors was assessed with the Heart Disease Fact Questionnaire (HDFQ). A web link for an anonymous questionnaire was shared with the licensed community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia using the "Seha" platform of the Ministry of Health. Data analysis was performed with R version 4.0.5.
Results: Three hundred seventy-four community pharmacists responded to the questionnaire. Many community pharmacists (94.4%) had satisfactory awareness of cardiovascular disease risk factors. The odds of having satisfactory HDFQ knowledge for community pharmacists seeing more than 20 individuals with diabetes per month were 20 times (AOR = 19.9, 95% CI: 1.73-260, and p = 0.019) more compared to those seeing fewer than 10 individuals with diabetes per month. The age of the community pharmacists and the average number of individuals with diabetes seen per month were found to be factors associated with satisfactory HDFQ knowledge.
Conclusion: The practicing pharmacists had a substantial understanding of cardiovascular disease risk factors. In line with counseling and education, the implementation of community pharmacy models for improving the knowledge of pharmacists, particularly the young pharmacists, is needed to effectively assist patients with cardiovascular disease.
Keywords: cardiovascular disease; community pharmacist; prevention; risk factor.