Perceptions of Physicians About Clinical Pharmacist’s Role in Al Qassim’s Hospitals in Saudi Arabia
Key Findings
- Overall response rate was 75.5% (189 of 250 physicians), with 150 males and 39 females participating
- Physicians showed high perception (≥90% agreement) for patient education and counselling, drug therapy monitoring, and drug information provision by clinical pharmacists
- Low physician perception (<76%) was found for clinical pharmacists taking medication histories on admission
- Physicians’ perception of clinical pharmacy services was not completely favourable, reflecting a mixed understanding of the evolving pharmacist role
Background
Clinical pharmacy has evolved considerably over the past several decades, shifting from a product-centred dispensing role toward a patient-centred practice that encompasses medication therapy management, patient counselling, therapeutic monitoring, and collaborative healthcare team participation. In Saudi Arabia, this transformation has been accelerated by health system reforms under Vision 2030, which emphasise improving healthcare quality and expanding the roles of all healthcare professionals.
The Al-Qassim region, located in central Saudi Arabia, operates a network of government hospitals that serve a diverse population. The integration of clinical pharmacists into hospital healthcare teams in this region—as across much of Saudi Arabia—has been a relatively recent development compared to more established clinical pharmacy programmes in Western countries. Understanding how physicians perceive the role of clinical pharmacists is crucial for successful interprofessional collaboration and for identifying areas where pharmacy services need to be expanded or better communicated.
This study aimed to explore physicians’ perceptions toward clinical pharmacy services and the role of clinical pharmacists in governmental hospitals in the Al-Qassim region of Saudi Arabia.
Study Design and Methods
An observational cross-sectional survey was conducted among physicians working in governmental hospitals in the Al-Qassim region. A total of 250 questionnaires were distributed to physicians across various specialties and levels of experience. The survey instrument assessed physicians’ perceptions of various clinical pharmacy services using structured response categories.
The questionnaire covered multiple domains of clinical pharmacy practice, including patient education and counselling, monitoring of drug therapy responses, provision of drug information to healthcare professionals, participation in ward rounds, medication history taking on admission, pharmacokinetic dosing services, and contribution to formulary management and drug policy.
Results
Response Rate and Demographics
Of 250 questionnaires distributed, 189 were completed and returned, yielding a response rate of 75.5%. The respondent pool comprised 150 males and 39 females, representing physicians at various career stages from residents to consultants across multiple hospital departments.
Highly Perceived Clinical Pharmacy Services
Physicians demonstrated strong support (90% or higher agreement) for several traditional clinical pharmacy functions. Patient education and counselling—where pharmacists inform patients about their medications, proper usage, potential side effects, and adherence strategies—was among the most highly endorsed services. Similarly, monitoring patients’ responses to drug therapy, including detection and management of adverse effects and toxicity, was widely recognised as an appropriate pharmacist function. Provision of drug information to healthcare professionals was also highly valued.
Lower-Perceived Services
In contrast, physicians showed markedly lower perception (below 76% agreement) regarding clinical pharmacists taking patients’ medication histories on admission. This represents a more advanced clinical pharmacy function that requires direct patient interaction and clinical assessment skills, and its lower endorsement suggests that some physicians may view this as encroaching on traditionally medical territory.
| Clinical Pharmacy Service | Physician Perception Level |
|---|---|
| Patient education and counselling | High (≥90%) |
| Drug therapy monitoring (including toxicity) | High (≥90%) |
| Drug information provision to healthcare professionals | High (≥90%) |
| Pharmacokinetic dosing services | Moderate |
| Ward round participation | Moderate |
| Medication history taking on admission | Low (<76%) |
Discussion
The mixed physician perceptions identified in this study reflect a healthcare system in transition, where clinical pharmacy roles are expanding but have not yet been fully integrated into the team-based care model. The high endorsement of information-providing and monitoring functions suggests that physicians value the pharmacist’s drug expertise when it complements rather than overlaps with traditional medical roles. The lower acceptance of medication history taking may reflect boundary concerns or lack of exposure to pharmacist-led admission services.
These findings are consistent with research from other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the broader Middle East region. Studies from Kuwait, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates have similarly reported that while physicians generally hold positive views toward clinical pharmacy, resistance increases when pharmacist roles extend into areas traditionally associated with medical practice, such as clinical assessment and prescribing recommendations.
The relatively limited number of clinical pharmacists in Al-Qassim hospitals compared to total pharmacy staff may contribute to low physician awareness of advanced clinical pharmacy capabilities. As more PharmD graduates and clinical pharmacy specialists join the Saudi healthcare workforce, increased exposure to advanced pharmacy services may progressively shift physician perceptions.
Public Health Implications
These findings suggest that strategic efforts are needed to enhance interprofessional education and collaborative practice between physicians and clinical pharmacists in Saudi Arabia. Hospital administrators should create structured opportunities for pharmacists to demonstrate their clinical competencies during ward rounds, multidisciplinary team meetings, and case conferences. Formal collaborative practice agreements that clearly define the scope of clinical pharmacy services may help reduce role ambiguity and build trust.
Educational interventions targeting both medical and pharmacy students—emphasising the evidence base for clinical pharmacy contributions to patient safety, medication optimisation, and healthcare cost reduction—could foster more positive interdisciplinary attitudes from the early stages of professional training. As Saudi Arabia’s health system continues to evolve under Vision 2030, maximising the contribution of clinical pharmacists will be essential for achieving the goals of improved healthcare quality, efficiency, and patient outcomes.
Limitations
The study was limited to governmental hospitals in the Al-Qassim region and may not represent physician attitudes in private hospitals or in other regions of Saudi Arabia, particularly those with more established clinical pharmacy programmes. The cross-sectional design captures perceptions at a single point in time and cannot assess how attitudes may evolve with increasing exposure to clinical pharmacy services. Potential non-response bias should be considered, as physicians with more positive or more negative views about clinical pharmacy may have been differentially motivated to participate. The study did not assess actual pharmacy–physician collaborative behaviours, only perceptions, which may not fully correspond with practice.
Perceptions of Physicians About Clinical Pharmacist’s Role in Al Qassim’s Hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine. 2017; 17(3).
License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)