Assessment of Community Pharmacists’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Toward Counseling Hypertensive Patients in the United Arab Emirates

Hypertension remains inadequately controlled worldwide despite the availability of effective treatments and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Community pharmacists, due to their accessibility and expanding patient-centered roles, can play a vital part in its management through counseling and education. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of community pharmacists in the UAE regarding hypertension counseling and identify associated influencing factors. A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted over six months using a validated, self-administered online questionnaire. Registered or licensed community pharmacists from all seven emirates of the UAE were recruited through non-probability convenience sampling. The survey link was distributed via WhatsApp, Email, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Informed consent was obtained electronically. Knowledge was assessed using six binary-coded items; attitude and practice were measured through nine items each on five-point Likert scales. Respondents scoring equal to or above the mean were classified as having “good knowledge,” “positive attitude,” and “good practice.”