Pharmacists' Understanding and Attitudes Toward Pharmaceutical Care in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background It has been proposed that pharmacy practice moves from product-focused to patient-focused. The major goals of pharmaceutical care are to improve the patient's quality of life, approve the safety of drug therapy, and seek to enhance the quality of life related to the patient's health within reasonable financial constraints. One of the biggest issues facing Saudi Arabia's healthcare system is including a pharmacist in the healthcare team who uses the most up-to-date pharmaceutical services and cares for the patient with medical and nursing care. This study aims to assess the opinions and knowledge concerning pharmaceutical care of hospital pharmacists working in three major governmental hospitals in the Al-Qassim region. Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional survey using an anonymous, structured, validated, and pilot-tested questionnaire of hospital pharmacists was utilized to address the study's objectives. The data were collected in four weeks between November and December 2021 from three major governmental hospitals in the Al-Qassim region. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 24 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), and the associations between variables were evaluated. Results The survey was completed by 130 of the 160 pharmacists during the four-week study period (the overall response rate was 81%). The majority of those who responded were Saudi males, and only 19 (14.6%) participants had more than 15 years of practice. The majority of pharmacists had favorable opinions on providing pharmaceutical care. Overall, 122 (93.9%) respondents knew what pharmaceutical care meant. Most pharmacists (120, 92.3%) agreed to always counsel the patient on how to use their medications. Nearly half of the pharmacists (58, 45.0%) lacked knowledge about the clinical disease states, and 108 (83.0%) pharmacists knew how to obtain information. Conclusions Pharmacists reported a positive attitude regarding pharmaceutical treatment. Awareness and attitudes concerning pharmaceutical treatment were associated with a variety of demographic parameters, including gender, years of experience, and place of employment, to name a few. They reported that they were willing but concerned about their clinical expertise and ability to communicate effectively. Therefore, pharmacists should be permitted to enroll in programs that teach them how to provide pharmacological care.

Keywords: attitudes; hospital; knowledge; pharmaceutical care; saudi arabia.