ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Drugs Outcomes Research and Policies
This article is part of the Research TopicPain Management in Palliative CareView all 7 articles
Perception and Readiness of Community Pharmacists in Delivering Palliative Care Services in Saudi Arabia: A New Role in the Game
Provisionally accepted
- College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: Palliative care (PC) improves the quality of life for patients with life-limiting illnesses; however, the involvement of community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia remains underexplored. This study evaluates community pharmacists' perspectives, readiness, and barriers to providing pharmaceutical care services within the Vision 2030 healthcare transformation framework. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 267 licensed community pharmacists in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia using convenience sampling. Participants were recruited via professional networks and social media platforms (WhatsApp, Telegram, and X). The survey instrument, adapted from validated international tools, was reviewed by experts and pilot-tested with 15 pharmacists (Cronbach's alpha = 0.81). Data were analyzed using SPSS v26. Chi-square tests and t-tests were used to examine relationships between readiness and demographic/professional factors. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Pharmacists exhibited moderate knowledge (mean = 13.8/20) and positive attitudes but reported training gaps and regulatory barriers. Most respondents supported early integration of palliative care, yet only 21.7% achieved full knowledge scores. Readiness was significantly higher among female (χ² = 6.12, p = 0.047) and urban pharmacists (χ² = 8.76, p = 0.013), while emotional preparedness and communication comfort remained comparatively low. Conclusion: Community pharmacists in the Aseer region show strong willingness but limited preparedness for palliative care services. Addressing training deficiencies through structured modules and continuing education is essential. Developing national guidelines and targeted support programs will strengthen pharmacists' roles and align their contributions with Vision 2030 healthcare goals.
Keywords: Community pharmacists, Palliative Care, Saudi Arabia, readiness, knowledge, attitudes
Received: 13 Jun 2025; Accepted: 17 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Alshahrani. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Sultan M. Alshahrani, shahrani@kku.edu.sa
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.