Cardiovascular Disease-Related Health Promotion and Prevention Services by Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia: How Well Are They Prepared?

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have been identified as the leading reason for morbidity and mortality in Saudi Arabia. Pharmacists play a major role in CVD prevention and health promotion. We aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and involvement of pharmacists in CVD prevention and evaluate the influence of continuing medical education in CVD-prevention services in Saudi Arabia. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the involvement of pharmacists in CVD-related prevention services along with their knowledge and attitudes. A 34-item questionnaire was developed and distributed among the participants. RESULTS: A total of 324 responses were included in the study. More than 60% of pharmacists had provided counseling regarding the importance of healthy lifestyles and self-monitoring CVD risk factors. About half of the participants (49.1%) had never received any CVD-related continuing medical education. Overall, more than 60% of the participants reported positively towards their role in CVD prevention. Lack of time (66%) and lack of educational materials and tools (41%) were the top perceived barriers for providing CVD-prevention and health-promotion activities, followed by lack of skills in using tools (36%) and lack of privacy/space (33%). CONCLUSIONS: The involvement of pharmacists in the prevention of CVD is limited in this study. Further education and capacity building are required to strengthen pharmacists' involvement in CVD-prevention and health-promotion activities.