Perceptions, Expectations and Barriers of Physicians towards Working with Clinical Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia

The purpose of this study was to investigate physicians’ perceptions and expectations regarding clinical pharmacists working in the healthcare team. In addition, to determining the barriers that impede clinical pharmacists’ contributions to the team, from the physician’s point.
A self- administered questionnaire was delivered to randomly selected physicians in Riyadh hospitals. The survey was pilot-tested on a small group of physicians to improve clarity and limit response bias. A total of 135 physicians were enrolled in this study. In terms of working with clinical pharmacists, 28% and 39% indicated they either never or rarely worked with a clinical pharmacist, respectively, while only 4% and 9% worked with a clinical pharmacist quite often or very often. Respondents agreed that clinical pharmacists were an integral part of the medical team (mean 4.4±0.72) and found them to be helpful in managing drug interactions and side effects, selecting appropriate drug therapies during pregnancy and educating other healthcare workers. Most respondents agreed that the specific responsibilities of a clinical pharmacist were not clearly defined (mean 3.83±0.98). Physicians seemed to be unaware of the potential benefits of having a clinical pharmacist on their teams, and some physicians had no prior experience working with clinical pharmacists.
Physicians in Riyadh were receptive to most statements regarding perceptions and expectations of clinical pharmacists. They considered them an integral part of the medical team, with a major role in educating other healthcare workers. The most frequently identified barrier was lack of role definition of clinical pharmacists.