Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Role of Community Pharmacist in Public Health Services, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Hammad Z. Al Dali, Amen Bawazir

Asian Journal of Medicine and Health · pp. 207–218 · Published 17 Aug 2022

10.9734/ajmah/2022/v20i1030520

Abstract

Background and Aims: Currently, the scope of practice has allowed pharmacists to engage in the clinical aspects of direct patient care and public health services to the patient. This study's main objective is to investigate community pharmacists' involvement in public health services and the barriers in the health system that hinder the integration of community pharmacy professionals into the public health task in the local context of Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in community pharmacies in a different region of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (June and July 2019). A sample was calculated to include 431 pharmacists working in different community pharmacies proportionally randomly selected from the five areas in Riyadh city. A multistage, stratified, random sample method was used. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software. A P value < 0.05 considered as statistically significant. Results: The 431 participants showed the dominance of male pharmacists (97.2%), non-Saudi (84.9%), and Bachelor’s pharmacy degrees (81.2%). Most of the participants were involved in smoking cessation (83.1%) as public health services, weight management (62.4%), but less involvement in activities related to physical activities or dietary intake (33.0%, 31.8%, respectively). More likely the involvement of the Saudi pharmacist in lifestyle activities in comparison to non-Saudi (AOR:1.932; 95% CI: 1.125 - 3.320). Moreover, the perceived barrier in the involvement level was more associated with years of experience. Conclusion: This study showed that community pharmacists should play an important role in health promotion and prevention; they recognize a wide gap between ideal and actual levels of participation. The researcher presents the main barriers to the role of the pharmacist to improve the level of the individual and society because many obstacles limit the role of the pharmacist in public health.

Pharmacist community pharmacy public health Saudi Arabia

References (19)

  1. 1 Public health in community pharmacy: A systematic review of pharmacist and consumer views [DOI]
  2. 2 Ideal and actual involvement of community pharmacists in health promotion and prevention: a cross-sectional study in Quebec, Canada [DOI]
  3. 3 The status of licensed pharmacy workforce in Saudi Arabia: a 2030 economic vision perspective [DOI]
  4. 4 The community pharmacy practice change towards patient-centered care in Saudi Arabia: a qualitative perspective [DOI]
  5. 5 Health promotion in community pharmacy: the UK situation [DOI]
  6. 6 Pharmacy workforce in Saudi Arabia: Challenges and opportunities: A cross‐sectional study [DOI]
  7. 7 Assessment of pharmacists’ delivery of public health services in rural and urban areas in Iowa and North Dakota [DOI]
  8. 8 Involvement of community pharmacists in public health priorities: A multi-center descriptive survey in Ethiopia [DOI]
  9. 9 Engaging Nigerian community pharmacists in public health programs: assessment of their knowledge, attitude and practice in Enugu metropolis [DOI]
  10. 10 A Cross-Sectional Study on Pharmacy Students’ Career Choices in the Light of Saudi Vision 2030: Will Community Pharmacy Continue to Be the Most Promising, but Least Preferred, Sector? [DOI]
  11. 11 Using a Global Systematic Framework Tool to Identify Pharmacy Workforce Development Needs: A National Case Study on Saudi Arabia [DOI]
  12. 12 The Importance of Public Health in Pharmacy Education and Practice [DOI]
  13. 13 Practice and Barriers towards Provision of Health Promotion Services among Community Pharmacists in Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia [DOI]
  14. 14 Expanding the Pharmacist’s Role in Public Health [DOI]
  15. 15 Pharmacists as immunizers, their pharmacies and immunization services: A survey of Ontario community pharmacists [DOI]
  16. 16 Female pharmacists’ career perceptions in Saudi Arabia: A survey at an academic center in Jeddah [DOI]
  17. 17 Youth Experience With Community Pharmacy Services and Their Perceptions Toward Implementation of Medication Therapy Management Services by Community Pharmacists in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia [DOI]
  18. 18 Attitude towards professional practice among community pharmacists’ in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia [DOI]
  19. 19 Involvement Of Community Pharmacists In Public Health Priorities: A Multi-Center Descriptive Survey In Ethiopia [DOI]

Cited by 4

A mixed-methods SWOT analysis of community pharmacy services in Saudi Arabia: stakeholder perspectives and strategic framework

Sultan M. Alshahrani · Frontiers in Medicine · 2026

Pharmaceutical Activities, Services, Medicines, and Products at Community Pharmacies in the Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia: Findings and Implications for the Future

A. Alrasheedy · Cureus · 2024

Showing 2 of 4 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.

Related research

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

54

Page views

0

PDF downloads

19

Outbound clicks

4

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.