Perception and Experience of the Public with Community Pharmacist Services in Hafr Al-Batin, Saudi Arabia

Background

Community pharmacists are now evolving from traditional roles to patient-centered healthcare providers, and this is widely acknowledged. This study aimed to assess public opinions and perceptions of pharmacists' involvement in community pharmacies.

Materials and Methods

A validated questionnaire was used to conduct the study with 667 participants in Hafr Al-Batin, Saudi Arabia. To evaluate relationships between sociodemographic characteristics and respondents' opinions and perceptions, descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were used.

Results

Among the 667 participants, just 14.8% of respondents said they had a chronic illness, with diabetes (5.5%) and hypertension (5.8%) being the most prevalent. Approximately 97.5% of participants considered pharmacists essential to the healthcare system; the majority viewed them as drug experts (68.4%) and healthcare providers (58.3%). Multivariate analysis showed that females had significantly higher odds of positive perception (AOR: 1.2; 95% CI: 1.1-1.9; p=0.01) and views (AOR: 1.1; 95% CI: 1.1-1.8; p=0.01), while participants aged 26-35 years had lower odds of perception (AOR: 0.5; 95% CI: 0.3-0.8; p=0.01) and views (AOR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.3-0.7; p=0.01). Participants with a bachelor’s degree showed a higher likelihood of positive perception (AOR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.2-1.5; p=0.01). Married individuals were less likely to have a positive perception (AOR: 0.8; 95% CI: 0.2-0.8; p=0.01) but more likely to have positive views (AOR: 1.2; 95% CI: 1.1-1.9; p=0.01).

Conclusion

The findings suggest that community pharmacists in Hafr Al-Batin are generally well regarded by the public for medication-related services. However, opportunities may exist to further enhance their role in preventive care and chronic disease management. Further research in broader populations is recommended to better understand public expectations and support the development of community pharmacy services.