Pharmacists’ attitudes toward medication review.

BackgroundMedication reviews are vital for optimizing patient care and resolving drug-related problems, with pharmacists playing a key role. Understanding pharmacists’ knowledge, attitudes, perceived barriers, and practices regarding medication reviews in the UAE is crucial for enhancing medication safety.AimTo assess the knowledge, attitudes, perceived barriers, and practices of pharmacy professionals in the UAE concerning medication reviews.MethodsAn online cross-sectional survey was distributed to licensed pharmacists in the UAE with at least a bachelor’s degree. The survey collected data on demographics, knowledge, attitudes, perceived barriers, and practices related to medication reviews. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis H tests, and Spearman’s rank correlation were used for data analysis.ResultsOf 426 pharmacists approached, 421 responded (98.8%). Most agreed that medication reviews should be pharmacist-led (99.5%) and include comprehensive patient profiles (99.0%). Awareness was high for prescription reviews (94.3%) but low for Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe classifications (4.3%). Positive attitudes were widespread (98.8%), and major barriers included time constraints (83.6%) and workload (76.7%). Around 73% conducted medication reviews, but over half did not use standardized tools. Gender differences were found in knowledge (p = 0.003) and attitudes (p = 0.007).ConclusionPharmacists in the UAE have positive attitudes toward medication reviews but face barriers, particularly time constraints and workload. Enhanced training is needed to address these issues and improve patient outcomes.研究背景：药物审查（Medication reviews）对于优化患者照护、解决药物相关问题至关重要，药师在此过程中发挥着关键作用。了解阿拉伯联合酋长国（UAE）药师在药物审查方面的认知、态度、感知障碍与实践行为，对于提升用药安全具有重要意义。研究目的：评估阿联酋药学专业人员在药物审查方面的认知、态度、感知障碍与实践行为。研究方法：本研究向阿联酋至少持有学士学位的执业药师发放线上横断面调查问卷，收集受试者的人口学特征以及与药物审查相关的认知、态度、感知障碍与实践行为数据。数据分析采用描述性统计、Mann-Whitney U检验、Kruskal-Wallis H检验以及Spearman秩相关分析。研究结果：本次研究共联系426名药师，回收有效问卷421份，有效回收率达98.8%。绝大多数受访者认可药物审查应由药师主导（99.5%）且需涵盖全面的患者病历档案（99.0%）。受试者对处方审查的认知度较高（94.3%），但对欧洲药学护理网络（Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe）分类标准的认知度较低（4.3%）。多数药师持有积极态度（98.8%），主要障碍包括时间限制（83.6%）与工作负荷（76.7%）。约73%的药师开展过药物审查，但超过半数未使用标准化工具。研究发现认知与态度维度存在显著性别差异（认知：p=0.003；态度：p=0.007）。研究结论：阿联酋药师对药物审查持有积极态度，但仍面临诸多实践障碍，尤以时间限制与工作负荷最为突出。需通过强化培训解决上述问题，以改善患者临床结局。